First record of Pseudosphaerocystis lacustris (Lemmermann) Nováková (Chlamydomonadales, Palmellopsidaceae) in Nepal

Algal samples were collected from slow-running water from the paddy field of Pokhara, Kaski District, Nepal, on January 3, 2021, and stored in air-tight plastic bottles. The samples were brought to the Cryptogams section (Algae) of National Herbarium and Plant Laboratories, Godawari, Lalitpur. Microphotography was done by using a HumaScope LED microscope with attached 0.5X adapter. The Herbarium specimens, as well as the permanent slide of the samples, were also prepared. Morphological characters viz., the colony with the number of cells in the group, position of pyrenoids, and shape of chloroplast were used for the identification. The result, which includes morpho-taxonomic depiction, showed that the above-expressed taxon was recorded for the first time from Nepal. Dimensions and photographs are also provided. There is hardly any substantial research work on taxonomic studies of family Palmellopsidaceae in Nepal. So to fill this gap, the present work was designed which help to the diversity increment of the freshwater green alga of Nepal. This article describes the morphological characteristics of the freshwater green macro-algae Pseudosphaerocystis lacustris belonging to the family Palmellopsidaceae of the class Chlorophyceae.