Stephanosphaera
| Stephanosphaera | |
|---|---|
| Stephanosphaera pluvialis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Clade: | Viridiplantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Chlorophyceae |
| Order: | Chlamydomonadales |
| Family: | Haematococcaceae |
| Genus: | Stephanosphaera Cohn |
| Species: | S. pluvialis |
| Binomial name | |
| Stephanosphaera pluvialis Cohn | |
Stephanosphaera is a genus of green algae in the family Haematococcaceae, containing the single species Stephanosphaera pluvialis. It forms colonies of flagellated cells. Although it was once placed in the family Volvocaceae, it is not closely related to them; its sister is the unicellular genus Balticola. The name comes from the Greek roots stephanos, meaning "crown", and sphaira, meaning "ball".