Lake Chelan Algae Key

A1. Nonmotile algae without chloroplasts: Cyanobacteriophyta

A2. Nonmotile algae with chloroplasts

B1. Cells usually solitary

B2. Nonmotile colonies with two or more cells

C1. Cells flattened, forming ribbon-like chains, short cylinders, or plate-like groups of cells

C2. Colonies spherical, oval, or elliptical

D1. Cells spherical, oval, or lemon-shaped

E1. Cells form groups of 4, with multiple cell groups enclosed in colonial mucilage; cells may have non-motile pseudocilia but will not be attached to other cells by radiating strands: Pseudosphaerocystis

E2. Cells spherical or nearly spherical; may be in 4-cell groups, but will not have pseudocilia

E3. Cells oval, broadly elliptical, or lemon-shaped

D2. Cells cylindrical, fusiform, or narrowly elliptical

D3. Cells asymmetric, bluntly crescent-shaped, or sausage-shaped; colonies usually containing 4-8 cells surrounded by gelatinized parent cell wall: Nephrocytium

C3. Colonies various shapes but not flat, spherical, oval, or elliptical

B3. Filamentous algae including pseudofilaments (see epiphyte links for epiphytic filaments)

B4. Cells living inside zooplankton or other aquatic animals (endozoic) or attached to aquatic plants (epiphytic)

A3. Motile algae with chloroplasts and flagella

A4. Cells divided into paired semi-cells that are approximate mirror images of each other: Desmids

A5. Cells enclosed in glassy, ornamental frustules; many species exhibit gliding movement: Diatoms