Lobosphaera
| Lobosphaera | |
|---|---|
| Lobosphaera incisa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Clade: | Viridiplantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Trebouxiophyceae |
| Order: | Trebouxiales |
| Family: | Trebouxiaceae |
| Genus: | Lobosphaera Reisigl |
| Type species | |
| Lobosphaera tirolensis Reisigl | |
| Species | |
| |
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.