[1] It is rare, but widely distributed in freshwater regions throughout the world.

[3] The apices are broadly rounded to subcapitate, and are furnished with a stout, straight spine.

It is unusual for its mode of asexual cell division, which involves a pale pink granular mucilage.

[2] Sexual reproduction is anisogamous, with male and female gametes.

[2] When the zygospore germinates, it releases its contents and meiosis occurs, of which two of the four meiotic producte survive and the other two are aborted.