Gloeocapsa Kützing
	From Greek gloia, "glue" + Latin capsa, "box"
Inner mucilage sheaths surround each cell or recently-divided pairs of cells, as indicated.	Gloeocapsa may be unicellular or made up of small groups of cells grouped within concentric mucilage envelopes. The individual colonies are usually spherical, microscopic, and enclosed within larger masses of mucilage. The cells are oval-shaped or ellipsoidal, and hemispherical after dividing. Each cell has a rounded, firm, inner mucilaginous sheath surrounded by older sheath material from the parent cell, revealing the pattern of cell division. The sheaths are colorless or vivid shades of yellow, brown, red, orange, blue, or violet, and may be affected by changes in pH. The cells are usually bright blue-green or olive green and do not have distinct gas vesicles.
Staining the specimens with India Ink makes the mucilage clearly visible against the dark background.	Gloeocapsa viewed with phase contrast optics.