[2] It is present in freshwater habitats such as lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, as a component of the phytoplankton.

[1] Tetrachlorella consists of colonies (termed coenobia up to 32 μm wide, usually embedded in a thin mucilaginous envelope.

The coenobia are usually four-celled (occasionally two-celled), with the four cells arranged in one plane.

Cells are uninuclate (with one nucleus) and contain one (or two[3]) parietal chloroplast with a single pyrenoid.

[1] Reproduction occurs exclusively asexually, via the formation of two or four autospores (per sporangium) arranged into coenobia.