Species: Microcystis aeruginosa
English Name: Microcystis aeruginosa
Chinese Name: 銅綠微囊藻
Family: Microcystaceae
Description:
A species of freshwater cyanobacteria which can form harmful algal blooms (HABs) that are of economic and ecological importance. They are the most common toxic cyanobacterial bloom in eutrophic freshwater. Characterized by small cells (of only a few micrometers diameter), which lack individual sheaths. Cells usually are organized into colonies (large colonies of which may be viewed with the naked eye) that begin in a spherical shape, but losing their coherence to become perforated or irregularly shaped over time. The coloration of the protoplast is a light blue-green, appearing dark or brown due to optical effects of gas-filled vesicles.
© 2009 Peters, Kristian
Photos used under a Creative Commons license
References:
– Atlas of Common Harmful Freshwater Algae in Macau (2011), written by Qiu Yi Jian, Ung Wai Kin, and Kong Yi Jun, Editor-In-Chief: Fan Xiao Jun, Macau University of Science and Technology Publishing, ISBN: 978-99937-53-24-7