portrait

Description:

Astasia (a-stays-ee-a) is a colourless euglenid, probably having derived from a lineage with plastids. With one emergent flagellum (by which it can be distinguished from Distigma which is similar but has two emergent flagella. There is no mouth. Most of the refractile granules are polysaccharide storage materials. The clear area near the front of the cell is the region of the flagellar pocket (where the flagella attach to the cell) and contractile vacuole. The relatively homogeneous region in the centre of the cell is where the nucleus is located. Differential interference contrast.