Sighting 4576918
Nitella sp. (genus)
A green freshwater algae at Brindabella National Park
Identify this sighting
| Nitella sp. (genus) | MichaelMulvaney | 5 Jul 2024 | |
| Nitella sp. (genus) | JaneR | 28 Jun 2024 | |
| Ceratophyllum demersum | Tapirlord | 18 Jun 2024 | |
| Ceratophyllum demersum | Tapirlord | 18 Jun 2024 |
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User's notes
Unclear exactly how many plants
7 comments
19 Jun 2024
That’s a very special sighting, Ciaran, of a rarely recorded plant, in a very unusual habitat: and especially significant as it seems to be fertile. I hope you collected a specimen for the herbarium.
19 Jun 2024
Details are a bit fuzzy on my screen. This could be Nitella - dimensions seem rather small for Ceratophyllum, and branching not quite right.
( when I first looked at this sighting, there was a third image which did indeed look like Ceratophyllum, but it’s since disappeared. No idea what that was or where it came from )
( when I first looked at this sighting, there was a third image which did indeed look like Ceratophyllum, but it’s since disappeared. No idea what that was or where it came from )
4 Jul 2024
Thanks Jane, you are right! I've had this confirmed by Roman Romanov in Moscow who is an authority with freshwater algae and similar. Turns out I was a bit hasty, better luck next time! :)
4 Jul 2024
Ah, well: let’s hope it didn’t get into ALA as Ceratophyllum while you were waiting !
You don’t need to go to Moscow for such ID - there are people in Australia who work on freshwater algae: Michelle Casanova, Stephen Skinner, Tim Enwistle. There’s a good section on Characeae in Sainty and Jacobs “Waterplants in Australia” (but only the 4th ed.), and a dedicated field guide “Freshwater Algae in Australia” by Entwistle, Sonneman and Lewis. Plus researchers in nearby New Zealand.
It’s hard not to get super excited when you think you’ve found something special.
Must admit that once I saw the photos on my PC monitor ( rather than my little smart phone), I was convinced for Ceratophyllum.
You don’t need to go to Moscow for such ID - there are people in Australia who work on freshwater algae: Michelle Casanova, Stephen Skinner, Tim Enwistle. There’s a good section on Characeae in Sainty and Jacobs “Waterplants in Australia” (but only the 4th ed.), and a dedicated field guide “Freshwater Algae in Australia” by Entwistle, Sonneman and Lewis. Plus researchers in nearby New Zealand.
It’s hard not to get super excited when you think you’ve found something special.
Must admit that once I saw the photos on my PC monitor ( rather than my little smart phone), I was convinced for Ceratophyllum.
5 Jul 2024
Jane when ALA draws up our data it should include any changes to identification and their record should also be updated
5 Jul 2024
Thanks, Michael: I wasn't sure how the uploading ID worked, and have worried a bit about how later ID corrections were addressed. Nice to be re-assured - I should have guessed the good guys at CNM and ALA would have anticipated all this !
7 Jul 2024
Roman is a friend from Inat, but perhaps I’ll get in touch with some of those others!
Location information
- Coordinates 148.790603-35.287533
- Altitude 830.3m
- Maps Brindabella National Park
- Places Uriarra, NSW
Sighting information
- 30 Abundance
- 18 May 2024 12:13 PM Recorded on
- Tapirlord Recorded by
- Less than 10cm Plant height
- No In flower
Collections
- Tapirlord Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Nitella sp. (genus) Algae, Cyanobacteria, other bacteria and viruses
Species information
- Nitella sp. (genus) Scientific name
- A green freshwater algae Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- 747.63m to 830.33m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species