Confervoideae

Confervoideae, a somewhat ill-defined group of filamentous algae, mostly living in fresh water, in which the branched or unbranched filaments have a mucilaginous sheath, and the chlorophyll is diffused throughout the cells. They are now divided into the Isogamae and the Heterogamae. In the former sexual reproduction occurs by the conjugation of similar ciliated zoospores; but the ordinary modes are asexual by the germination of zoospores or of detached resting-cclls. Conferva, Ulothrix, Chaetophora, Chroolepus, belong here. The Heterogamy include OEdogonium, Sphaeroplea, Coleochaete, etc., in which the conjugating bodies are dissimilar, and the female gamete is usually stationary.