Desmids - Beautiful single celled algae

There are many different types of algae, differing in both size, shape, color, habitat and more. Some types are multicellular and very large like seaweed, some are microscopic and colonial like Eudorina, while others consist of only a single cell. Some of these are called desmids (desmidiales).

Desmids are highly symmetrical unicellular green algae which can take on many different shapes depending on the specific species. The desmids also vary in size between species, the smallest being only a couple of microns and the largest reaching a size of several hundreds of microns and are visible with the naked eye. Desmids are most commonly found in freshwater where several thousand species can be found.