Characiochloridaceae is a
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
of
green algae
The green algae (: green alga) are a group of chlorophyll-containing autotrophic eukaryotes consisting of the phylum Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister group that contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ...
in the order
Chlamydomonadales
Chlamydomonadales, also known as Volvocales, are an order of flagellated or pseudociliated green algae, specifically of the Chlorophyceae.See the NCBIbr>webpage on Chlamydomonadales Data extracted from the Chlamydomonadales can form planar o ...
.
Characiochloridaceae consists of solitary or rarely clustered cells, attached to a substrate via a stalk or other adhesive organ. Cells are heteropolar, ranging from egg-shaped to spindle- or pear-shaped, but also sometimes spherical. The adhesive part of the cell may be colored brown from iron compounds. The cell contains a single parietal chloroplast, which may be cup-shaped and variously lobed and dissected. Chloroplasts have at least one
pyrenoid
Pyrenoids are sub-cellular phase-separated micro-compartments found in chloroplasts of many algae,Giordano, M., Beardall, J., & Raven, J. A. (2005). CO2 concentrating mechanisms in algae: mechanisms, environmental modulation, and evolution. ''An ...
surrounded by a layer of starch. Vegetative cells are uninucleate, i.e. with one nucleus. Asexual reproduction occurs when the protoplast successively divides into 2-64
zoospore
A zoospore is a motile asexual spore that uses a flagellum for locomotion in aqueous or moist environments. Also called a swarm spore, these spores are created by some protists, bacteria, and fungi to propagate themselves. Certain zoospores are ...
s, each with two flagella. Less often,