noun
oedogonium (genus of filamentous green algae)
Scientific term for a genus of freshwater green algae with distinctive reproductive structures. Typically written in katakana.
池の水を顕微鏡で見ると、サヤミドロの糸状の群体が観察できた。
When we looked at the pond water under a microscope, we could observe filamentous colonies of oedogonium.
The Japanese name サヤミドロ is likely derived from 鞘 (さや, 'sheath') and みどろ (a term for filamentous algae), referring to the sheath-like structures in its reproductive cycle. The exact derivation is uncertain.