Gonium Müller
From Greek gonia, "angle"
 
Gonium is a small, motile, colonial green alga consisting of biflagellate cells in a flat plate. The cells use their pair of flagella to swim with a rotating motion. Different species may have 4, 8, 16, or 32 cells that are ovoid or angular in shape. Each cell has an eyespot, two contractile vacuoles at the base of the flagella, and a large cup-shaped chloroplast with at least one pyrenoid. Each cell is enclosed within a mucilage sheath, which join together to form the colony. Unlike the larger volvocalean colonies such as Volvox or Eudorina, the cells of Gonium colonies are identical and show no evidence of specialization.
 
 
 
 
In culture, the cells may be solitary instead of forming the
characteristic colonies.
 
 
 
 
(Left) Note the pair of flagella and the
similarity of each cell to Chlamydomonas.