Crocuneedle

The crocuneedle replaced its ancestor the crocuflagella. It has spread across the surface of the Sagan 4's oceans and coastlines. Its flagellums have reduced in number and have become ridged spines. They help deter other microbes that try to feed on them. They grow in large numbers where nutrients are brought up from the deep oceans or near river deltas. During the autumn when conditions are right they create large "blooms" which tint the water a yellow hue. While they cannot move on their own they are spread through the vast network of sea currents. They still reproduce via binary fission. They are extremely small and are only around 50 micrometers across.