Tolypothrix
Tolypothrix spp. · Algae
Where it grows · Photo: Brandon Corder / CC BY
Also called Benthic cyanobacteria, Blue green algae, Brown fuzz, Tolypothrix spp.
May produce toxins
Only a lab test shows whether a bloom is toxic. Keep people, pets and livestock out of discolored or scummy water until it is tested.
How to identify Tolypothrix
- Small dark olive, brown or blue green woolly tufts on rocks, wood and plants
- Feels soft and felt like, not slimy
- Fine branched threads with false branching seen with a hand lens or microscope
- Often mixed into shoreline mats with other algae
Similar species
Calothrix forms dark crusts or short velvet on rocks; Audouinella tufts are reddish; Phormidium forms flat leathery mats.
Growth profile
| Season | Present much of the year, most visible in summer. |
|---|---|
| Starts | About 55 to 60 F water |
| Light | Moderate to bright light |
| Depth | Attached in shallow water near shore |
| How it spreads or reproduces | Fragments and short motile filaments |
| Habitat | Ponds, lake shores, wetlands, springs and slow streams, attached to hard surfaces and plants, often in hard water. |
Why it matters in a lake
Usually a minor part of shoreline growth. It fixes nitrogen from the air, so it can grow where nitrogen is low.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Rare
- Oregon: Rare
- Wyoming: Rare
Classification
| Kingdom | Bacteria |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Cyanobacteria |
| Class | Cyanophyceae |
| Order | Nostocales |
| Family | Tolypothrichaceae |
| Scientific name | Tolypothrix spp. |
More benthic cyanobacteria
Lyngbya
Oscillatoria
Phormidium
Calothrix
Scytonema
SpirogyraNeed a hand?
Worried about a bloom?
We identify algae under the microscope and test for cyanotoxins, so you know what is in the water and whether it is safe.
Idaho / Wyoming (208) 501-4531Oregon (541) 280-0596