A 243 bp intron was found within the 23S rRNA gene of the unicellular green alga Chlorella ellipsoidea. This intron is A+T-rich (63.7%) compared with the 23S rRNA (50.5%) and is located in domain II of the 23S rRNA. In contrast to rRNA introns so far known, this intron is considerably small and does not possess features of group I introns in spite of its possible folded secondary structure; this is a new type rRNA intron. The complete nucleotide sequence of the 23S rRNA gene (2,965 bp) was also compared with that of tobacco chloroplasts and E. coli.