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Gigantomonas herculea Dogiel, 1916, the only known species, is a devescovinid flagellate that occur in two forms. The flagellate form of 35-50 µm in length has three long anterior flagella and a long recurrent one undulating at the surface along the cell body. It is weakly adhering to a large cresta extending all along the cell body. The stout rod-like axostyle has a capitulum covering the nucleus and a posterior end not projecting from the cell. The amoeboid form in which the recurrent flagellum adhering to the cresta is internalized. There is a large margin of microfilamentous cytoplasm at the periphery. This form attaches to the cuticle of the termite gut by finger-like microfilamentous processes. The only species known occurs in Hodotermopsis mossambicus. Amoeboid form of Gigantomonas herculea showing the amoeboid margin of cytoplasm (interferential contrast).
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Gigantomonas herculea Dogiel, 1916, the only known species, is a devescovinid flagellate that occur in two forms. The flagellate form of 35-50 µm in length has three long anterior flagella and a long recurrent one undulating at the surface along the cell body. It is weakly adhering to a large cresta extending all along the cell body. The stout rod-like axostyle has a capitulum covering the nucleus and a posterior end not projecting from the cell. The amoeboid form in which the recurrent flagellum adhering to the cresta is internalized. There is a large margin of microfilamentous cytoplasm at the periphery. This form attaches to the cuticle of the termite gut by finger-like microfilamentous processes. The only species known occurs in Hodotermopsis mossambicus. Amoeboid form of Gigantomonas herculea containing the internalized undulating recurrent flagellum.
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Gigantomonas herculea Dogiel, 1916, the only known species, is a devescovinid flagellate that occur in two forms. The flagellate form of 35-50 µm in length has three long anterior flagella and a long recurrent one undulating at the surface along the cell body. It is weakly adhering to a large cresta extending all along the cell body. The stout rod-like axostyle has a capitulum covering the nucleus and a posterior end not projecting from the cell. The amoeboid form in which the recurrent flagellum adhering to the cresta is internalized. There is a large margin of microfilamentous cytoplasm at the periphery. This form attaches to the cuticle of the termite gut by finger-like microfilamentous processes. The only species known occurs in Hodotermopsis mossambicus. Amoeboid form of Gigantomonas herculea where the undulating recurrent flagellum attached to the large cresta and the axostyle are revealed by antibodies by immunofluorescence microscopy.
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Image showing the undulating membrane and the cresta by immunofluorescence microscopy, nucleus and axostyle in the background.
