| Id | 94 |
| Identification Type | Algae |
| Name | Phacotus |
| Distinguishing Features | Circular
Moderate-birefringence Pinwheel-extinction |
| Description | Transparent colorless spheres show white and occasionally pastel birefringence colors. A dark ragged "X" across the sphere (also described as a pinwheel, baseball seams) rotates as the stage is rotated. Phacotus is a lacustrine green alga with a calcite lorica, and can be abundant in temperate hardwater lakes. Lorica with two slightly different appearances in cross-polarized light (one sometimes with a red ring near the perimeter) may be views of the outside and inside of loricae, as they commonly separate after death. |
| Tags | carbonate lorica |
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