fucoxanthin

…droplets, and the golden-brown pigment fucoxanthin masks the chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments that are also present. Diatoms are commonly divided into two orders on the basis of symmetry and shape: the round nonmotile Centrales have radial markings; the elongated Pennales, which move with a gliding motion, have pinnate (featherlike) markings.

…are characterized by the pigment fucoxanthin and by the use of oil droplets as a food reserve. Many are encased in a silica cyst known as a statocyst or statospore, the ornamentation of which can serve to distinguish between species. Sexual reproduction is rare. Asexual reproduction is by the formation…