Lobosphaera


Lobosphaera is a genus of green algae in the family Trebouxiaceae. It was originally described from soils in Austria, but has since been found in freshwater habitats and as a symbiont within lichens.
Lobosphaera consists of solitary, spherical cells around 15 μm in diameter, surrounded by a thin cell wall. Cells contain a single chloroplast that is parietal with marginal indentations. Chloroplasts lack pyrenoids but have starch grains. Reproduction is asexual and occurs by the formation of 4-32 autospores; these are released by the rupture of the parental cell wall. Species in the genus Lobosphaera have also been placed in Myrmecia.