Coelastrum pulchrum Schmidle, 1892
Most likely ID: n.a.
Synonym: n.a.
Sampling location: Simmelried, Schwemm (Austria)
Phylogenetic tree: Coelastrum pulchrum
Diagnosis:
- coenobia spherical or tetrahedral
- 4–32 cells
- coenobia up to 86 µm diameter
- diameter of cells 6–16 µm
- cells connected via blunt projections
- each cell with a blunt polar projection
- gaps between the cells small
- one chloroplast with one pyrenoid
I find Coelastrum pulchrum only very rarely. The coenobia are quite small at about 50–60 µm. In the coenobia, each cell is connected to 6 of its neighboring cells via short extensions to form a hollow sphere. This construction results in small, asymmetrically shaped gaps between the cells. In addition, each cell has a seventh, blunt projection that is directed outwards and has a thickened cell wall.
Fig. 1 a-b: Coelastrum pulchrum. D = 50 µm (of coenobium). Two focal planes of a coenobium consisting of 32 cells. Note the blunt polar projetions (PP) of the cells. IC = intercellular space. Obj. 100 X.
Fig. 2: Coelastrum pulchrum. The squashed coenobium as shown in fig. 1 a-b. PP = polar projection, PY = pyrenoid. Obj. 100 X.