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Litostomatea: Haptoria: Haptorida: Mesodiniidae

Mesodinium pulex
(Claparède & Lachmann, 1858) Kahl, 1930

Mesodinium Genus (Stein, 1863 or 1862?): Ovoid; an equatorial furrow marks conical anterior and spherical posterior parts; in the furrow are inserted two (or more) rings of strong cilia; one directed anteriorly and the other posteriorly; with tentacle-like retractile processes around the cytostome (Kudo, 1966).
Species: 20-31 μm long (Kudo, 1966). 20-38 μm long (How to know the protozoa, 1979). 20-30 μm long; anterior conical, posterior globose; nematodemata forked at the tip (Carey, 1992).


Mesodinium pulex (Claparède & Lachmann, 1858) Kahl 1930, cell body 19 μm long, 15 μm wide, x 400, Japan, 1997 by Y. Tsukii
scale 50 μm scale 100 μm scale 150 μm; x 400
Mesodinium Mesodinium Mesodinium

Mesodinium pulex, cell body 25 μm long, 18 μm wide, fed on Chlorogonium fusiforme, x 400, Japan 1997 by Y. Tsukii
scale 50 μm scale 100 μm scale 150 μm; x 400
Mesodinium Mesodinium Mesodinium Mesodinium Mesodinium

A well fed cell, 34 μm long, 24 μm wide, fed on Chlorogonium fusiforme, x 400, Japan 1997 by Y. Tsukii
scale 50 μm scale 100 μm scale 150 μm; x 400
Mesodinium Mesodinium

M. acarus Stein: Oral tentacles with capitate tip; 10-16 μm long (Kudo, 1966).


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