Distigmidae

Distigma proteus Euglenid without chloroplasts, highly metabolic, two flagellae, one of them trailing. Collection from sptagnum pond Dosenmoor near Neumuenster (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany). Images were taken using Zeiss Universal with Olympus C7070 CCD camera.Image under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). Place name: Bog Hegne Moor near Lake Constance (Germany) Latitude: 47.718106 Longitude: 9.093974 Euglenid ohne Chloroplasten, Zellkörper bei Bewegung stark metabolisierend (d. h. durch den Körper laufen peristaltische Wellen), zwei Geißeln, eine davon ist eine kurze Schleppgeißel. Der Messbalken markiert eine Länge von 50 µm. Probe aus dem Simmelried nahe Konstanz. Mikrotechnik: Zeiss Universal, Kamera: Olympus C7070. Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). For permission to use of (high-resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.

Distigma proteus Euglenid without chloroplasts, highly metabolic, two flagellae, one of them (short one) trailing. Scale bar indicates 50 µm. Sample from the pond Hegne Moor situated in the vicinity of Lake Constance. Images were taken using Zeiss Universal with Olympus C7070 CCD camera.Image under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). Place name: Bog Hegne Moor near Lake Constance (Germany) Latitude: 47.718106 Longitude: 9.093974 Euglenid ohne Chloroplasten, Zellkörper bei Bewegung stark metabolisierend (d. h. durch den Körper laufen peristaltische Wellen), zwei Geißeln, eine davon ist eine kurze Schleppgeißel. Der Messbalken markiert eine Länge von 50 µm. Probe aus dem Simmelried nahe Konstanz. Mikrotechnik: Zeiss Universal, Kamera: Olympus C7070. Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). For permission to use of (high-resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.

Distigma proteus Motion study of Distigma proteus. Scale bar indicates 50 µm. Sample from the pond Hegne Moor situated in the vicinity of Lake Constance. Images were taken using Zeiss Universal with Olympus C7070 CCD camera.Image under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). Place name: Bog Hegne Moor near Lake Constance (Germany) Latitude: 47.718106 Longitude: 9.093974 Bewegungsstudie von Distigma proteus. Der Messbalken markiert eine Länge von 50 µm. Probe aus dem Simmelried nahe Konstanz. Mikrotechnik: Zeiss Universal, Kamera: Olympus C7070. Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). For permission to use of (high-resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.

Santa Coloma, La Rioja, Spain

Ribadelago, Castilla y Len, Espaa

Cuelgamuros, Comunidad de Madrid, Espaa

Castille and Leon, Spain

Distigma sennii Pringsheim, 1942. Metabolic swimming euglenid, cell typically club-shaped, broader anteriorly and truncated with an apical canal-opening, the posterior end of cell tapers, cells are 40 - 62 microns long. With two flagella, unequal in length. The longer flagellum is about 0.25-0.35 cell length and the recurrent flagellum is very short (5 - 6 microns), slightly curved and directed sideways or to the posterior of the cell. The pellicle seems smooth. The reservoir is in the middle of the cell with an associated contractile vacuole. A nucleus is located centrally or slightly behind the centre of the cell. The cell contains a large number of ellipsoidal or cylindical refractile grains and when swimming the cell moves quickly and rotates.

Distigma (die-stig-ma), heterotrophic euglenid flagellate. There are two flagella which are attached to the cell in a flagellar pocket which is an invagination that leads to the front of the cell by a tube called the flagellar canal. The light disc near the front is the contractile vacuole which is located alongside the flagellar pocket which cannot be seen in this image. One flagellum is long, the other short. The cytoplasm has large amounts of paramylon granules. The cell can squirm (is metabolic). Phase contrast.

Distigma proteus Ehrenberg, 1838. Body highly metabolic, scarcely ever presenting the same contour, usually more or less elongate, with irregular constrictions and distensions, longer flagellum nearly equaling the body in length, the shorter one scarcely one quarter that length, endoplasm transparent, enclosing numerous dark coloured refringent corpuscles whose positions are constantly shifting from one extremely to the other in accordance with the peristaltic motions of the body, two minute, blackish, eye-like pigment-spots usually developed at the anterior extremity, tubular pharynx slender, greatly prolonged, contractile vacuole conspicuous, located close to the termination of the pharynx, nucleus ovate, subcentral. Length 44-106 microns

Distigma proteus clavatum Playfair, 1921. Cells are 18-44 microns long and 8-12 microns wide. see Menoidium pellucidum var clavatum.

Scanning electron micrographs showing two stages of contraction (metaboly).