Great Lakes Water Life Photo Gallery
Filamentous Algae of the Great Lakes Region

Complex

(multiple cell layers along the axis)

Simple Branched

Unbranched

Siphonous/Mucilaginous

(no cross walls or spherical cells held together only by mucilage)

Great Lakes Algae Species List

• Class Xanthophyceae
• Order Heterocapsales
• Family Mischococcaceae
• Genus Mischococcus
• Mischococcus confervicola
• Order Heterotrichales
• Family Tribonemataceae
• Genus Bumilleria
• Bumilleria sicula
• Genus Tribonema
• Tribonema affine
• Tribonema bombycinum
• Tribonema minus
• Tribonema utriculosum
• Class Chrysophyceae
• Order Chrysotrichales
• Family Phaeothamniaceae
• Genus Phaeothamnion
• Phaeothamnion confervicola
• Class Bacillariophyceae - Diatoms (See - Checklist of Great Lakes Diatoms) - The list below highlights only those species found in the supplemental references. Be sure to click the above link if you want the full list! All species listed below are also included in the linked checklist except: Cyclotella tecta, Cyclotella unipunctata, Gomphonema simus, Nitzschia pilum Thalassiosira baltica and Synedra socia.
• Genus Aulacoseira
  • Aulacoseira ambigua (aka Gallionella distans, Melosira distans)*H
  • Aulacoseira distans *
  • Aulacoseira granulata (aka Lysigonium granulata, Melosira granulata)*#H
  • Aulacoseira islandica (aka Melosira islandica)*#H DsDmDhDeDo
  • Aulacoseira italica (aka Melosira italica) *#H
  • Aulacoseira subarctica DmDh
• Genus Diatoma
  • Diatoma ehrenbergii E
  • Diatoma hiemale #H
  • Diatoma tenue *#H
    • Diatoma tenue var. elongatum (aka Diatoma elongatum)*H
  • Diatoma vulgare#H
• Genus Eunotia #
• Genus Fragilaria
  • Fragilaria capucina*#H
  • Fragilaria crotonensis *#H DsDmDhDeDo
  • Fragilaria intermedia *#H
  • Fragilaria radians (aka Synedra radians) *#
  • Fragilaria vaucheriae*#H
• Genus Fragilariforma
  • Fragilariforma virescens (aka Fragilaria virescens) *#H
• Genus Melosira
  • Melosira varians *
• Genus Skeletonema
  • Skeletonema potamos E*H
  • Skeletonema subsalsum E
• Genus Stephanodiscus
  • Stephanodiscus alpinus *# DmDeDo
  • Stephanodiscus astraea H
  • Stephanodiscus binderanus E*#H De
  • Stephanodiscus carconensis*
  • Stephanodiscus hantzschii *#H
    • Stephanodiscus hantzschii fo. tenuis (aka Stephanodiscus tenuis)*#HDe
  • Stephanodiscus lucens *
  • Stephanodiscus minutulus *#
  • Stephanodiscus niagarae *#H DsDeDo
  • Stephanodiscus parvus *# De
  • Stephanodiscus subtilis E
  • Stephanodiscus subtransilvanicus DsDmDh
  • Stephanodiscus transylvanicus*#

• Class Phaeophyceae
  • Order Sphacelariales
    • Family Sphacelariaceae
      • Genus Sphacelaria
        • Sphacelaria fluviatilis E
        • Sphacelaria lacustris E

Based on: G.W. Prescott. 1962. Algae of the Western Great Lakes Area. Wm. C. Brown Co., Inc.

Diatom List from - Stoermer, E. F., Kreis, R. G. Jr. and Andresen, N. A. 1999 Checklist of diatoms from the Laurentian Great lakes. II. J. Great Lakes Res. 25:515-566.

*Plankton in Lake Michigan 1983 - 1992 . EPA/GLNPO. Epilimnetic Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Biomass and Species Composition in Lake Michigan, 1983 to 1992. Joseph C. Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis and Paul Bertram. October 1994. [Reports Stylotheca aurea - Other references to this species of Chrysophyte cannot be found so this species is not included in the above list]

#Plankton in Lake Ontario 1986 - 1992. EPA/GLNPO. Epilimnetic Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Biomass and Species Composition in Lake Ontario, 1986 to 1992. Joseph C. Makarewicz, Theodore Lewis1 and Paul Bertram. July 1995.

E Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species List.

Ds Dm Dh De Do - Dominant algae species of each Lake - Per Results From The Great Lakes National Program Office’s Biological Open Water Surveillance Program Of The Laurentian Great Lakes for 1998. EPA.

H Brown and Manny. 1983. Nearshore Plankton of Hammond Bay, Lake Huron. JGLR 9(4)523-529.

Additional taxonomic placements based on: Prescott. 1970. how to know the Freshwater Algae. Wm. C. Brown Co. [Ankyra, Chlorogonium, Lobomonas, Phacotus, Pyramidomonas, Sphaerellocystis, Bitrichia, Chromulina, Chrysarachnion, Chrysochromulina, Chrysococcus, Epipyxis, Kephyrion, Monosiga, Ochromonas, Pseudokephyrion, Salpingoeca, Stichogloea, Uroglena, Chilomonas, Rhodomonas, Amphidinium, Enteromorpha, Nitellopsis]

Additional taxonomic placements based on: Protist Information Server. [Chlamydocapsa, Monoraphidium, Planktonema, Selenastrum, Sphaerellopsis]

Additional taxonomic placements based on: European Register of Marine Species [Hymenomonas]

Additional taxonomic placements based on: Systema Naturae 2000 [Paraphysomonas, Spiniferomonas]

Additional taxonomic placements based on: VCR LTER Biodiversity Database [Coccochloris]

?Additional Taxonomy, uncertain.[Chodatellopsis, Diplochloris, Echinocoleum, Gloedactinium, Chrysolykos, Isthmochloron, Sphacelariales]

Algae Links

Algal Image Laboratory - Bowling Green State University
Great Lakes Diatom Home Page - University of Michigan
The Wall - Michigan Tech
University Paisley Biodiversity Reference
Phytopia

• Special Topics: Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms
• Educational Activities: Fitting Algae Into the Food Web
• Educational Activities: Building a Bloom
• Educational Activities: Tracing the Toxins
• Educational Activities: Help! It's an HAB!
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• Educational Activities: HAB Glossary