yellow-green algae, members of the class Xanthophyceae (division Chromophyta), consisting of approximately 600 species, once classified with the green algae on the basis of similarity of body organization. The Xanthophyceae are distinguished by their food reserve (oil), the quantity of β-carotene in their plastids, and motile cells with unequal flagella. Frequently their cell walls are two overlapping halves. The usual method of asexual reproduction is by motile zoospores or nonmotile resting aplanospores. Sexual reproduction is rare; the genus Vaucheria is an important exception.
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