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Pediastrum (Hydrodictyaceae)

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Diagnostic features

Colonial chlorophytes with flattened, squarish or H- or X-shaped cells linked together in concentric rings to form disc-like colonies. The outermost X-shaped cells give the disc a spiky outline. Chloroplasts green, netlike, each containing one large pyrenoid.  Pediastrum was recently separated into several genera, but the differences between these are subtle.

[Pediastrum] (sewage pond), X1000. Photo: Otago Regional Council & Manaaki Whenua Image
Pediastrum (sewage pond), X1000. Photo: Otago Regional Council & Manaaki Whenua
[Pediastrum], (sewage pond), X400. Photo: Manaaki Whenua Image
Pediastrum, (sewage pond), X400. Photo: Manaaki Whenua

Typical habitats

Found in the plankton of nutrient-rich lakes and ponds. Often abundant in sewage ponds, particularly during spring and summer.

Classification

Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Chlorophyta
Class Chlorophyceae
Order Chlamydomonadales
Family Hydrodictyaceae
Common name Green algae