''Deuterocharacium'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 family

Characiaceae Characiaceae is a family of green algae in the order Sphaeropleales. It contains epiphytic or planktonic algae that are unicellular or colonial. The cells are heteropolar, with basal and apical ends having different shapes. The daughter cells are ...

. It is found in

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

habitats, attached to algae or detritus. It is rare and has only been recorded from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Description

''Deuterocharacium'' consists of solitary cells that are attached to a substrate via a short mucilaginous pad or a pedicel. Cells are 30-50 μm long and 6-12 μm wide, cylindrical to ovoid, with a rounded or pointed tip. Cells have many small, discoid

chloroplast A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle, organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant cell, plant and algae, algal cells. Chloroplasts have a high concentration of chlorophyll pigments which captur ...

s lining the inside of the cell membrane, which lack

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 ...

s. ''Deuterocharacium'' has been described as uninucleate (i.e. containing a single

nucleus Nucleus (: nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to: *Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom *Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA Nucleu ...

); other sources state the adult cells are multinucleate, but this may be before the zoospores are formed. No eyespot is present. ''Deuterocharacium'' reproduces asexually; sexual reproduction has not been observed in this genus. It obligately produces

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 which have two

flagella A flagellum (; : flagella) (Latin for 'whip' or 'scourge') is a hair-like appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, from fungal spores ( zoospores), and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many pr ...

and a single chloroplast containing a pyrenoid. Zoospores are produced in groups of 32 to 128, and are released through a tear in the mother cell wall.

Identification

Similar genera include '' Characium'' and '' Pseudochlorothecium''. ''Characium'' differs in having chloroplasts with pyrenoids. It differs from '' Pseudochlorothecium'' in that it does not reproduce via

autospore Autospores are a type of spores that are produced by algae to enable asexual reproduction and spread. They are non-motile and non-Flagellated cell, flagellated Aplanospore, aplanospores that are generated within a parent cell and have the same sha ...

s, only via

s. Within ''Deuterocharacium'', two species are known, ''D. polyplastidicum'' and ''D. fallax'', which differ based on the shape of the cells.

References

Sphaeropleales genera Sphaeropleales Freshwater algae {{Chlorophyceae-stub