Chrysocapsa

Chrysocapsa is a genus of algae belonging to the class Chrysophyceae, commonly known as golden algae. These organisms are typically found in both marine and freshwater environments. Golden algae are diverse, but many are single-celled and possess two specialized flagella. A key characteristic is their golden-yellow color, due to the pigment fucoxanthin, and they store food reserves as oil droplets. Some species of golden algae are encased in a silica cyst called a statocyst or statospore, which aids in species identification. The order Chrysocapsales, which includes Chrysocapsa, is characterized by nonmotile vegetative cells that form colonies within a gelatinous matrix.12