Starry Stonewort
(Nitellopsis obtusa)
Starry stonewort, a submerged annual macroalga belonging to the order Charales (includes all Chara and Stonewort species), is known to cause nuisance conditions in Michigan, New York and Indiana. It can outcompete other vegetation and form monotypic stands that can reduce fish spawning habitat.
Classification in Wisconsin: Prohibited
Other names for this macroalga include:
- Common names: green alga
- Scientific names: Nitellopsis obtusa
- Former names: Chara obtusa, Nitellopsis stelligera, Tolypellopsis obtusa, T. stelligera
- Ecological Threat
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- It invades lakes, rivers, reservoirs and ponds. It can grow in water depths up to 9 meters.
- It can reduce fish spawning habitats, outcompete other vegetation and fragments can foul watercraft motors.
- Identification
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Leaves: Whorls of 4-6 branchlets (leaves) with blunt tips and irregular-length branchlets are arranged along the primary thallus (stem).
Fruits & seeds: Only male individuals in North America have been documented and reproduction is via fragments or vegetative structures called "bulbils, " the primary identifying characteristic. Bulbils are produced at nodes and most are found on the rhizoids. These bulbils are 3-6 mm wide and star-shaped with five or more points (see image below). The male specimen may produce orange–to–brown colored antheridia in branchlet axils.
Photo credit: Paul Skawinski Roots: Clear rhizoids
Similar species: Similar characteristics to other charophytes like Nitella and Chara species and may be difficult to distinguish from starry stonewort. Star-shaped bulbils are a unique feature of this species.
- Distribution
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See the reported locations of starry stonewort in Wisconsin.
Do you know of additional populations? Please send us a report.
- Control
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Current control methods have not been shown to have a measurable impact on starry stonewort. Special care should be taken to reduce the spread of starry stonewort within and amongst water bodies and to educate the public about its presence if it is found.
- Resources
- Sources for content:
- Species Assessment Groups literature review [PDF] for Starry Stonewort
- Golden Sands RC&D AIS Quick Guide for Starry Stonewort [exit DNR]
- Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Starry stonewort public informational meeting presentation [PDF]
- USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database [exit DNR]
- M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2015. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org [exit DNR]; searched on 18 March 2015.