Descriptions of all the Saccoderm and some of the Placoderm desmids (including Micrasterias), 218 taxa in all. There are keys for identifying the genera and species, an annotated list of habitats, some ecological comments, a large number of literature references, and seven ecological data tables. The preface includes an account of the morphology of the desmid cell (with text figures), and a brief history of freshwater phycology in New Zealand.
The Desmids series is a subset of the Flora of New Zealand series, and covers the large, well-defined group of freshwater and essentially unicellular plants, belonging to the green algae.
"...should be in the library of every institution that employs desmid taxonomists and of every organisation that has responsibilities for water quality and the conservation of freshwater habitats."
Carolyn W. Burns - University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, reviewing Desmids Volume II.
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