Family: Colonies consisting of a fixed number of cells (Illustrations of The Japanese Fresh-water Algae, 1977).
Genus: Colonies (coenobia) up to 1.5 mm diam.; many cells (500-60,000) in single layer; somatic cells identical, variable shape, with 2 outwardly directed flagella; asexual reproduction by formation of a daughter colony by loss of flagella and repeated division of a gonidium to produce a small hollow sphere of cells in which flagellar bases and nuclei are oriented inwards; before being released, daughter colony undergoes "inversion" turning inside out; flagella then form (Illustrated Guide, 1985).

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V. carteri 400-500 cells col. μm cell μm Japan, 199?	V. carteri 400-500 cells col. μm cell μm Japan, 199?	V. carteri colony ~860 μm Kamishiro Hakuba Nagano, 2004
V. aureus col. 352 μm cell μm Lake Sai Toda Saitama, 2004	V. aureus col. 520-560 μm cell μm near Uehara-ike Ueda Nagano, 2006
V. globactor 5000 cells col. μm cell μm Japan, 1997	V. globactor 5000 cells col. μm cell μm Japan, 1997	V. globactor 5000 cells col. μm cell μm Japan, 1999 Movies	V. globactor 5000 cells col. μm cell μm Japan, 1999 Movies
V. globactor col. 330 μm cell μm hanging bridge Shiobara Tochigi, 2004	V. globactor col. 250, 414 μm cell μm Happou Hakuba Nagano, 2006	V. globactor col. 880 μm cell μm Kejo-numa 1 Osaki Miyagi, 2006	V. globactor col. 250, 414 μm cell μm Kejo-numa 2 Osaki Miyagi, 2006

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