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, 9×55 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.