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Nassophorea: Nassulida: Nassulina: Nassulidae

 Nassula elegans
Ehrenberg, 1833

Nassula Family: Body ellipsoidal, uniformly ciliated; hypostomial frange short; prominent cytopharyngeal apparatus (Carey, 1992).
Genus: Oral aperture small, oval (Carey, 1992).
Species: Cell body elongate and cylindrical, 200-300 μm long; multiple contractile vacuoles (at least 5) in a straight line; trichocysts absent; frange large and distinct; cytopharyngeal basket long; macronucleus ellipsoidal (Carey, 1992).
Similar species --> Paranassula

Nassula elegans Ehrenberg ?, cell body (left) 177 μm long, 71 μm wide, L/W=2.5, x 400, x 640, Kurome river, Asaka city, Saitama Pref., Japan, January 8, 2006 by Y. Tsukii
scale 50 μm scale 100 μm scale 150 μm; x 400 : scale 31 μm scale 63 μm scale 94 μm; x 640
Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula
A cell ingesting a trichome of Oscillatoria sp., 300 μm long, 90 μm wide, L/W=3.3, x 200, x 400, x 640
Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula
Nassula Nassula
A cell ingesting a trichome of Oscillatoria sp. (4 x 11 μm), μm long, μm wide, L/W=, x 200, x 400, x 640
Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula
A conjugating pair, cell body (left) 220 μm long, 110 μm wide, L/W=2.0, x 200, x 400, x 640
Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula
A cell undergoing encystment 135 μm long, 80 μm wide, L/W=1.7, x 200, x 400, x 640
Nassula Nassula Nassula
Cysts 103 μm long, 93 μm wide, L/W=1.1, x 400, x 640
Nassula Nassula
Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula Nassula

Nassula ornata Ehrenberg, 1833: 250 μm long, 180 μm wide (Kahl, 1931). Ovoid, 250 μm long; frange presents; a single contractile vacuole lie in the mid-body region; macronucleus with at least three micronuclei; many trichocysts present (Carey, 1992).

* Nassula elegans Ehrenberg, 1833: 250 μm long; L/W=2 (Kahl, 1931). Ovoid or elliptical, 250 μm long; reduced frange presents; long cytopharyngeal apparatus "cyrtos" presents; macronucleus with 2 to 4 micronuclei; a single contractile vacuole; trichocysts absent (Carey, 1992).

Nassula terminalis Ozaki & Yagiu, 1941: Ovoid, flattened and flexible; 150-210 μm long; anterior quarter narrower than the rest of the body; cytopharyngeal opening very long; macronucleus ovoid; single micronucleus; single contractile vacuole terminal; trichocysts absent (Carey, 1992).

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