Image © Marien van Westen
Staurodesmus glaber. Notice triangular semicell body and stout, convergent apical spines.
Cell dimensions (L x B, including spines): 20 x 30 µm
Image © Marien van Westen
Cell of Std. glaber var. hirundinella, a variety characterized by markedly concave apices.
Cells of Staurodesmus glaber are usually triradiate. This species is characterized by semicells with a triangular body and stout spines that strongly converge from the apical angles. Zygospores, like in most Staurodesmus species are globose and furnished with slender, straight spines. In the Netherlands, Std. glaber is rather incidentally encountered in acidic, oligo-mesotrophic water bodies. Zygospores are rare.
Image © Marien van Westen
Conjugated cells of Std. glaber with a spiny, globose zygospore in between.