Characiella is a genus of green algae in the family Characiaceae, containing the single species Characiella rukwae.
Characiella rukwae consists of colonies of cells embedded in a gelatinous matrix. Cells are ovoid in shape, with one nucleus at the base of the cell. There is one central, stellate chloroplast with a pyrenoid at the center. The mode of reproduction is unknown, although it is suspected to form zoospores with two flagella.[1]
Characiella rukwae has been recorded once from the plankton of Lake Rukwa in what is now Tanzania.[2] The genus is thus poorly known and requires modern reinvestigation.