Gloeocapsa sp – Kinneret Algae Atlas

Phylum: Cyanobacteriophyta
Class: Cyanophyceae
Order: Chroococcidiopsidales
Habitat: benthic, on stones in shallow waters
Distinctive features: Rare species of multicellular mucilaginous, amorphous colonies, made of sphaerical to ovoid cells in multiple envelopes, seen macroscopically as small bue-green aggregates.
Organization: colonial
Color: blue-green
Cell shape: sphere
Colony shape: irregular
Cell diameter (D): ~ 5 μm
Cell biovolume: ~ 65 μm³
Biovolume equation: Sphere V, μm³ = 4/3 π (D/2)³.
Cells per colony: many

Morphological features

multicellular mucilaginous, amorphous colonies, made of sphaerical, subspherical or hemispherical (after division) cells in multiple envelopes that do not copy exactly the cell shape. Cells with homogeneous blue-green content (Plates 1, 2). Cells and their immediate groups are surrounded by lamellated envelopes.

Plate 1. Gloeocapsa sp. from the littoral zone of Lake Kinneret. Photo by Alla Alster, Oct. 2006.

Plate 2. Gloeocapsa sp. from the littoral zone of Lake Kinneret. Photo by Alla Alster, Dec. 2006

Ecology

a rare benthic species that occurs only in the littoral zone. When present, colonies are large enough to be seen macroscopically as strongly colored blue-green aggregates on stones in the shallow water.

Cite this record as: Dr. Tamar Zohary, Dr. Alla Alster. 21 July 2026. Electronic publication. Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research. https://kinneret-algae-atlas.org/ Searched on —.