Key to Algal Phyla/Classes
| 1. Cells without chloroplasts, pigmentation blue-green, gray-green, yellowish, violet distributed in most of the cytoplasm | Cyanobacteria |
1. Cells with chloroplasts where pigments are located of various dominant colors |
2
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| 2. Storage products starch which stain reddish, purple to black with Lugol’s solution | 3 |
2. Storage products different than starch and do not stain positively with Lugol’s solution
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5
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| 3. Chloroplasts light to dark green with starch inside | Chlorophyta |
3. Cells with starch in the cytoplasm outside of the chloroplast |
4
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| 4. Cells usually red or blue, unicellular flagellates, often bean-shaped, commonly dorsiventrally flattened with two or more unequal subapical | Cryptophyta |
4. Cells bluish or red, thallus coccoid, filamentous, or tissue-like but non-motile
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| 5. Greenish unicellular flagellates with a long flagellum emerging from an apical depression, cells with pellicle and may be surrounded by lorica, chloroplasts two to several | Euglenophyta |
5. Cells greenish or golden, with no pellicle or apical depression |
6
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| 6. Greenish unicells to colonies, filaments or coenocytes | Xanthophyceae |
6. Golden-brown unicells to colonies
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