U.F.O.

This Unidentified Floating Object does not remain unidentified for a long time, not even for a beginner. At least, if there is some decent literature at hand.




Desmatractum indutum, 9x55 µm.

Looks like an alien space ship. But it is a green-algae: Desmatractum indutum. Belongs to the little family of Treubariaceae. According to Komárek & Fott (1983). And Algaebase. The wonderful Dutch species list - TWN – has another opinion and lifts the Trebouxiophyceae to an own class under the division Chlorophyta. Interesting…

There are more weird little things in this family. What they have in common is that there is a clear distance between the cell wall and the chloroplast. Most common is probably the genus Treubaria, where there are some cosmopolitan species.

According to Komárek & Fott Desmatractum indutum is mostly in small, eutrophic ponds. Hindák (1984) has found it in Slovakian fishponds and Schmidt & Fehér (1999) in some Hungarian waters every now and then. John and Co (2008) don’t mention it in their book about the Algal Flora of the British Isles. Neither does our own Grand Old Plankton Lady, late Toini Tikkanen mention it in her Kasviplanktonopas (1986).

Eyes open guys, it’s not that difficult to see!


Literature:
Hindák, František 1984.
Studies on the chlorococcal algae (Chlorophyceae). III. Biol. Práce., XXX/1, p. 308.

Komárek J., Fott B.1983
Chlorophyceae (Grünalgen), Ordnung Chlorococcales.. In: Huber-Pestalozzi G. (Ed.): Das Phytoplankton des Süsswassers, Die Binnengewässer 16, 7/1: 1-1044, Schweizerbart Verlag, Stuttgart.

Schmidt, Antal & Fehér Gizella 1998. A zöldalgák Chloroccales rendjének kishatározója 1. 2. (átdolgozott) kiadás. Vízi természet – és környezetvédelem 5. Budapest.

Tikkanen, Toini 1986.
Kasviplanktonopas. Suomen Luonnonsuojeluliiton tuki Oy. Helsinki.

I take this as a sign

All right, I will make an appointment. Next week. The first thing.

I have been thinking about going to the hairdresser a couple of weeks already. Maybe it has something to do with a new year beginning, that I want to have something new – if not in, then at least – on my head. Was thinking about a Siimes-look, about 5 mm long hair, but it’s a bit too cold for it at the moment.

Last time I visited a hairdresser is about… must be about four years ago. So, you do understand, that this is not that kind of a decision I make hastily.

And then, yesterday, I saw these with the scope:

and I thought if even the Dictyosphaerium get’s a new, interesting African-look, then – go for it!

A normal Dictyosphaerium looks like this: