home nav buttonphytoplankton nav buttonglossary nav button
left arrow right arrow
 

aphanizomenon

aphaniz

aphaniz

aphaniz

Genus: Aphanizomenon | Cyanobacteria

HAB

Species: Aphanizomenon flos-aquae

Samples collected in Pinto Lake, California

Order: Nostocales

Family: Nostocaceae

Description: The thallus of Aphanizomenon is filamentous. Filaments can be free-floating and solitary or form colonies. Colonies have a characteristic parallel arrangement and may look like clumps of grass clippings floating on the surface. Cells are cylindrical or barrel-shaped and pale blue-green. All species are planktonic and can form dense blooms, and can produce saxitoxins. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is often found in eutrophic lakes, reservoirs, regulated fish ponds, and cattle ponds.

 

IFCB images

 

This Phytoplankton Identification page is affiliated with CeNCOOS and HABMAP, and is maintained by the Kudela Lab at the University of California Santa Cruz. Details about site history, funding, and sources of information and images can be found here.