Image Gallery Page 1

Cyanobacterial Image Gallery

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements

The images in this gallery are uncopyrighted freeware and are provided for educational purposes. Please contact the webmaster before using any of
these images in a published work. A policy for image usage has been established. Images from Cyanosite have appeared in many publications
including textbooks, review articles, and news reports. The images also have been used for presentations and museum exhibits worldwide.

Many of these images were taken from field samples. The measurements are approximate and not reliable for taxonomic use. It is hoped that the
images will provide field technicians with some help in recognizing the creatures in the samples they have collected. Many of these pictures illustrate
certain characteristics that are important in the ongoing discussion of morphological determination of cyanobacteria. Beggiatoa and "Chloroflexus"
are not cyanobacteria, but they are included here because they are found in the same habitats as cyanobacteria, and because they could be confused
with cyanobacteria. If you disagree with the taxonomic designations given here please submit your comments for inclusion.

The Webspinner is very grateful to those that have provided images to Cyanosite. Submission of additional images is always welcome. A policy for
image usage is also available.

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Video Images

The Great Escape - A cyanobacterium defending itself from a ciliate predator.

Spirulina on the Move - Spirulina gyrating in solution.

Still Images
A full image can be obtained by clicking on a thumbnail sketch

Anabaena affinis, 640X

Anabaena circinalis - Measurement unavailable. probably 400x

Anabaena doliolum

Anabaena flos-aquae enlarged 2500X

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Anabaena "laxa" - ID for this complex is of course tenuous--see next entry. Measurement unavailable. probably 400x

Anabaena "laxa" - From the same sample as above, a few weeks later. Note that the akinete is now adjacent the heterocyst. It now keys
out to Anabaena "cylindrica". 400x

Anabaena scheremetievi - 400x phase contrast

Anabaena scheremetievi - A slight hint of a sheath is visible. 400x

Anabaena scheremetievi - 400x

Anabaena sperica, 1600X

Anabaena spherica - 400x

Anabaena spiroides - The line is 20 microns. 200x

Anabaena torulosa - 400x

Anabaena torulosa - Is it Synecococcus? No, it is Anabaena torulosa akinetes. 400x

Anabaena variabilis

Anabaena sp. - (Unidentified) No speculations upon the species. 400x

Anabaena sp. - (Unidentified) No speculations upon the species. 400x

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Anabaena sp. - (Unidentified) No speculations upon the species. 400x

Anabaena sp. - (Unusual and contorted) Akinetes are round, so it is probably not A. circinalis. Could be A. spiroides in an unusual state.
200x.

Anabaena sp. - (Unusual and contorted) The same specimen as above at 100x.

Anabaena sp. - Probably A. scheremetievi, but akinetes were absent. A hint of a sheath is barely visible. 400x

Anabaena sp. - Probably A. circinalis, but akinetes were absent. 1000x

Anabaena sp. - Possibly A. viguieri, but the akinetes are too broad. 400x.

Anabaena sp., from freshwater lake in Oregon, 100X

Anabaena sp., from freshwater lake in Oregon, 100X

Anabaena sp., from freshwater lake in Oregon, 200X

Anabaena sp., from freshwater lake in Oregon, 100X. Note the fabulous germinating akinetes.

Anabaena sp.

Anabaena sp.

Anabaena sp.

Anabaena sp.

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Anabaena sp. with symbiont bacteria (possibly Zoogloea) around heterocysts

Anabaenopsis circularis - The central pair of heterocysts is clearly visible. 200x

Anabaenopsis circularis - A developing pair of heterocysts is visible in the center of the trichome. Note the bacteria attached to it. 400x
(phase contrast)

Anabaenopsis circularis - Same as above without phase contrast. 400x

Anabaenopsis sp. bloom in Bedetti Lake, Santo Tome, Santa Fe, Argentina

Anabaenopsis sp. bloom in Bedetti Lake, Santo Tome, Santa Fe, Argentina

Anabaenopsis sp. bloom in Bedetti Lake, Santo Tome, Santa Fe, Argentina

Anacystis nidulans TEM of semi-thin section (200 nm). See protocol.

Anacystis nidulans TEM of semi-thin section (200 nm) See protocol.

Anacystis nidulans TEM of semi-thin section (300 nm) See protocol.

Anacystis nidulans TEM of semi-thin section (300 nm) See protocol.

Anacystis nidulans TEM of semi-thin section (500 nm) See protocol.

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Anacystis nidulans TEM of semi-thin section (500 nm) See protocol.

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae - Akinetes and heterocyst clearly visible. Measurement unavailable. probably 400x

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae - Colony. Measurement unavailable. probably 100x

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae - Colony. Akinetes absent. 400x

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae strain 1401/5. Autofluorescence image.

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae strain 1401/5. Autofluorescence image.

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae strain 1401/5. Autofluorescence image.

Arthrospira jenneri - Cross-walls obscured by cytoplasmic granules (sorry). 400x

Beggiatoa alba - 400x

Beggiatoa alba - Cropped portion of image above at higher resolution.

Bloom in waters at the Hartebeespoort dam in South Africa

Bloom of Microcystis aeruginosa and Anabaena circinalis on the St. Johns River, FL

Bloom of Aphanizomenon flos aquae in a lake in Surrey, UK

Bloom

Bloom of Microcystis in Crescent Lake, FL

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Bloom in Doctor's Lake

Bloom in Lake Ponchartrain, LA, an oligohaline estuary

Bloom of Microcystis aeruginosa and Anabaena circinalis contaminated by a boat on the St. Johns River, FL

Bloom in agricultural setting in Missouri

Bloom in agricultural setting in Missouri

Bloom in agricultural setting in Missouri

Bloom in agricultural setting in Missouri

Bloom in agricultural setting in Missouri

Borzia sp.

Calothrix sp. PCC 7103

Calothrix sp.

Calothrix sp. showing terminal heterocysts

Chloroflexus sp. - Unknown phytoplankton from a fish pond. Speculation: Chloroflexus. 400x

Chloroflexus sp. - Wider view higher resolution image of specimen above.

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Chroococcus sp.

Collecting cyanobacteria from a large bloom

Cyanobacterial bloom

Cyanosarcina sp. from a pulp and paper waste-treatment system in Brazil

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii - Heterocysts and akinetes visible. 400x

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii - 400x phase contrast

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii - Heterocyst visible. 400x

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii - Akinetes (only) visible. 400x phase contrast

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii - Heterocyst visible. 400x phase contrast

Cylindrospermum muscicola - 400x

Cylindrospermum muscicola - Surprise! It is not Pseudanabaena, but C. muscicola, without akinetes, but with a developing heterocyst.
400x phase contrast

Cylindrospermum sp. str. PCC 7417

Cylindrospermum sp.

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Cylindrospermum sp., 1600X

Cylindrospermum sp., 1600X

Eubacterium - Unidentified bacterium pays Euglena a visit. 1000x

Fischerella sp. str. PCC 7414

Fischerella sp.

Geitlerinema sp. from a pulp and paper waste-treatment system in Idaho

Girvanella sp. in algae oncolites from the Lower Cambrian Mule Spring Limestone, Waucoba Spring, Death Valley National Park

Gloeobacter sp. str. PCC 8105

Gloeobacter sp.

Gloeocapsa sp. together with two algae

"Gloeotrichia" - Akinete and heterocyst clearly visible. Measurement unavailable. 400x

"Gloeotrichia" - Colony. Measurement unavailable. 100x

Leptolyngbya africana

Leptolyngbya foveolarum f maior

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Leptolyngbya foveolarum

Leptolyngbya fragilis

Leptolyngbya sp.

Lyngbya aestuarii

Lyngbya majuscula

Lyngbya sp.

Lyngbya sp. showing classical sheath and terminal differentiation in the lower filament

Lyngbya sp. showing formation of a coil at the end of a "hairpin" formation

Lyngbya sp. - (Unidentified) No speculations upon the species. 200x

Lyngbya sp. - (Unidentified) No speculations upon the species. Note that one has no visible sheath. 200x

Lyngbya sp. - Same specimen as above. 400x phase contrast

Lyngbya sp. - (Unidentified) Possibly birgei. 200x

Lyngbya sp. - Social gathering of the above species. 200x

Lyngbya sp.

Lyngbya sp.

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Lyngbya sp., two cells are leaving the shell

Lyngbya sp.

Lyngbya sp. at 100 X.

Mat Community Knit strings of cyanobacteria from green layer of a microbial mat from Great Sippewissett Saltmarsh, Falmouth, MA

Mat Community Cross-section of a microbial mat from Great Sippewissett Saltmarsh, Falmouth, MA

Merismopedia - Colony of Merismopedia (Agmenellum [Drouet], Synechocystis Low GC cluster [Waterbury and Rippka]). 200x

Merismopedia elegans, 640X

Microcoleus chthonoplastes

Microcoleus vaginatus

Microcoleus sp. - One of those in the anomalous Microcoleus/Symploca/Lyngbya/Take-a-guess range. 400x

Microcrust on soil

Microcystis aeruginosa enlarged 2500X

Microcystis aeruginosa strain PCC 7806. Autofluorescence image.

Microcystis aeruginosa strain PCC 7806. Autofluorescence image.

Microcystis aeruginosa strain PCC 7806. Autofluorescence image.

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Microcystis aeruginosa strain PCC 7806. Autofluorescence image.

Microcystis aeruginosa strain PCC 7806. Autofluorescence image.

Microcystis aerogenosa strain 1450/10 in very old (6 month) stationary phase cultures imaged with autofluoresence. 1000X

Microcystis aerogenosa strain 7806 in very old stationary phase cultures imaged with autofluoresence. Note transient "bright strike"
feature. 1000X

Microcystis aerogenosa strain 7806 in very old (100 d) stationary phase cultures imaged with phase contrast. Note multi-planar division.
1000X

Microcystis aerogenosa strain 7806 in very old (100 d) stationary phase cultures imaged with phase contrast. Note narrow sheath.
1000X

Microcystis aerogenosa. 100X

Microcystis sp. bloom

Microcystis sp. - Becoming confluent. 200x

Microcystis sp. bloom from bird's eye view

Microcystis aeruginosa bloom, Lake Mokoan, Victoria, Australia.

Microcystis sp.

Microcystis sp. - Separate colonies. 200x

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Microcystis sp. bloom, Balgavies Loch, Dundee, Scotland, 1981.

Microcystis sp., bloom, Grandview Garden Park, Beijing

Mixture - Oscillatoria cf. chalybea, Planktothrix agardhii, and Anabaena spiroides. 200x

Mixture - Oscillatoria cf. chalybea, Planktothrix agardhii, and Arthrospira jenneri. 200x

Mixture, including Thiothrix and Oscillatoria sp.

Mixture, including Spirulina and Microcoleus sp. and diatoms together with Thiopediasp.

Mixture of cyanobacteria from microbial mat community

Mystery Bug - Truly strange. Spirulina major inside a bundle. 400x

Mystery Bug - Unidentified filament. Is it made of diatoms, desmids, cyanobacteria, or the unknown? 400x

Mystery Bug A - Planktothrix agardhii with a swollen terminal cell. 200x. For Mystery Bugs A through E, it has been suggested that the
swollen terminal cells are fungal (chytrid) fruiting bodies (sporangia) as hyphae have been observed running the length of similar trichomes.

Mystery Bug B - Planktothrix agardhii with a double swollen terminal cell. 200x. See Mystery Bug A.

Mystery Bug C - Another odd Planktothrix agardhii. 400x phase contrast. See Mystery Bug A.

Mystery Bug D - Another odd Planktothrix agardhii. 400x phase contrast. See Mystery Bug A.

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Mystery Bug E - Same as above without phase contrast. 400x. See Mystery Bug A.

Mystery wavy cyanobacteria

Mystery cyanobacteria in a colony

Mystery cyanobacteria showing vessicles

Mystery 13

Mystery 14

Mystery 15

Mystery 16

Nodularia spumigena enlarged 1250X

Nodularia sp. bloom in situ from an undersea porthole in the Baltic Proper

Nostoc (Anabaena) azollae - Heterocyst clearly visible. 400x

Nostoc (Anabaena) azollae - Numerous akinetes visible. 400x

Nostoc sp. - Possible germling. 400x

Nostoc sp. - Possible colony or is it a strange type of Anabaena spherica?. The only thing for sure is that nothing is for sure. 200x

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Nostoc sp., 130X

Nostoc sp. at 10X

Nostoc sp.

Oscillatoria agardhii - Autofluorescence image.

Oscillatoria cf. chalybea - With Planktothrix agardhii, and possible Raphidiopsis sp. 200x

Oscillatoria "chlorina" - Quotes represent the contributor's resentment at identifying cyanobacteria using color. 400x

Oscillatoria geminata - 400x

Oscillatoria limnetica

Oscillatoria limosa, 640X

Oscillatoria margaritifera

Oscillatoria princeps - 200x

Oscillatoria princeps - 100x

Oscillatoria princeps - Social gathering with some friends. 200x

Oscillatoria splendida - 400x phase contrast

Oscillatoria subuliformis

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Oscillatoria sp. - The famous "big Oscillatoria". Species not known. It may be undescribed. 200x

Oscillatoria sp. - Note the granules in the terminal cell, along with its thickened membrane. 400x

Oscillatoria sp. - With the bright light rendering its striking granules more visible. Note the spiral arrangement of the granules. 100x

Oscillatoria sp. - The same specimen as above. 200x

Oscillatoria sp. - At low magnification. 40x

Oscillatoria sp. together with a Synechocystis microcolony. Note the numerous bacteria in the background.

Oscillatoria sp.

Oscillatoria sp., 640X

Oscillatoria sp., likely a hormogonium, from a pulp and paper waste-treatment system in Brazil

Phormidium jenkelianum

Phormidium retzii - Tentative identification. 200x

Phormidium sp.

Phormidium sp.

Phormidium uncinatum - Tentative identification. 400x phase contrast

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Phormidium uncinatum - Same as above without phase contrast. 200x

Phycobilisome diagram Each disk in the phycobilisome structure represents a hexameric aggregate, (alpha-beta)66 , of a phycobiliprotein
complexed with a linker protein: Phycoerythrin = red, Phycocyanin = blue, Allophycocyanin = light blue. The green elements are the two PSII
reaction centers that associate with each phycobilisome.

Planktothrix (Oscillatoria) agardhii - With visible pseudovacuoles. 400x phase contrast

Planktothrix rubescens. 100x.

Pleurocapsa sp. str. PCC 7440

Raphidiopsis curvata - Mixed with some straight chains that are either more Raphidiopsis or Cylndrospermopsis raciborskii without
akinetes or heterocysts. 400x

Raphidiopsis curvata - Same as above with phase contrast

Raphidiopsis cf. mediterranea - Could be R. brookii. 400x

Raphidiopsis cf. mediterranea - 100x

Raphidiopsis curvata - 200x

Raphidiopsis cf. mediterranea - Pseudovacuoles clearly visible. 400x phase contrast

Schizothrix lenormandiana

Scytonema cf. Crustaceum

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Scytonema sp.

Spirulina major - 400x phase contrast

Spirulina sp.

Spirulina sp.

Spirulina sp.

Spirulina sp.

Spirulina sp.

Spirulina subsalsa

Spirulina sp. (Arthrospira) culture contaminated by brown swans in South Bend, IN.

Stromatolites

Stromatolites

Stromatolites

Stromatolites

Columnar Stromatolites and Thrombolites from tidal channel at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas

Stromatolite Cross-section, columnar procaryotic stromatolite grown on Calianassa burrow. Bar = 1 cm.

Stromatolite Photomicrograph, thin section of prokaryotic stromatolite showing alternating layers of dense micrite and coarse detritus.

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Stromatolite Photomicrograph, thin section of eukaryotic stromatolite showing undulose laminations formed by a combination of
eukaryotic algal and cyanobacterial activities.

Stromatolites found in Middle Proterozoic formations of the Hakatai Shale in Grand Canyon National Park.

Stromatolites found in Middle Proterozoic formations of the Hakatai Shale in Grand Canyon National Park. Lens cap is 55 mm.

Stromatolites found in Middle Proterozoic formations of the Hakatai Shale in Grand Canyon National Park. Lens cap is 55 mm.

Stromatolites found in Middle Proterozoic formations of the Hakatai Shale in Grand Canyon National Park.

Stromatolite crossection

Frozen Stromatolites, Shark's Bay, Australia

Frozen Stromatolites, Shark's Bay, Australia

Frozen Stromatolite Mat, Shark's Bay, Australia

Frozen Stromatolite, Shark's Bay, Australia

Frozen Stromatolites, Shark's Bay, Australia

Synechocystis buzasii

Synechocystis sp.

Thrombolite Heads heavily overgrown by Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas

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Thrombolite of modern origin from Lee Stocking Channel, Bahamas. Bar = 1 cm.

Thrombolite Photomicrograph, thin section showing boundary between micritic clot and detritus-rich sediment pocket

Tolypothrix sp. strain A

Tolypothrix sp. strain A

Trichodesmium sp., Nomarski optics, 1000x

Trichodesmium sp., Nomarski optics, 1000x

Trichodesmium sp., Phase contrast, 1000x

Trichodesmium sp., Fluorescence optics, 1000x

Trichodesmium sp., Fluorescence optics, 1000x

Trichodesmium sp., Phase contrast, 1000x

Trichormus sp.

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