Tetraspora (four-eyed algae) - Tetraspora

Japanese: ヨツメモ(四目藻) - ヨツメモ（英語表記）Tetraspora

A genus of colonial green algae that grows in ditches, streams, rice fields, swamps, and ponds around the world, its Japanese name comes from the fact that the cells are located close together in groups of four. The cells are spherical, 5 to 10 μm in diameter, contain cup-shaped chloroplasts inside, and have two flagella at the front end. These flagella are called pseudoflagellum (or pseudocilium), and differ from ordinary flagella in that they are embedded in the agar, are non-motile, and their internal structure lacks the two microtubules in the center. In addition to multiplying by breaking off, colonies reproduce asexually by two-flagellated zoospores, and sexually by identical male and female gametes.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

世界各地の溝，小川，水田，沼，池などに生育する寒天質の群体性緑藻の1属で，和名は細胞が4個ずつ近接して位置することに由来する。細胞は直径5～10μmの球形で，内部に杯状の葉緑体をもち，前端に2本の鞭毛（べんもう）を出す。この鞭毛は偽鞭毛（ぎべんもう）(または偽繊毛（ぎせんもう）)と呼ばれ，寒天質中に埋在し，運動性がなく，内部構造も中心部に2本の微小管を欠くなど，一般の鞭毛と異なる。群体はちぎれて増殖するほかに，2鞭毛をもつ遊走子による無性生殖と，同型の雌雄配偶子による有性生殖を行う。

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