Mermaid Species of Algae

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• After nearly four decades, a new species of algae known as ‘Mermaid algae’ has been discovered on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The species has been named ‘Acetabularia jalakanyakae’. 

• It consists of a single gigantic cell with a nucleus, which is its main characteristic. 

• The species is the first of the genus Acetabularia to be discovered in India. Another feature of Acetabularia is their regenerative potential.