Genus: Highly flattened; pellicle firm; body form constant (Kudo, 1966). Chloroplasts small, discoid, pyrenoids usually absent; most species flat and leaf-shaped; often with ridges or fins running helically or longitudinally (Illustrated Guide, 1985).
Species: 120-170 μm long, 45-70 μm wide; usually slightly twisted; a long caudal prolongation; flagellum about 1/2 body length; stigma prominent; a discoidal paramylon (paramylum) body central; pellicle longitudinally striated (Kudo, 1966).
var. longicauda: cell body 85-170 μm long, 45-70 μm wide; locomotive flagellum shorter than the cell body; a single paramylon body ring shaped (An Illustrated Guide to Freshwater Zooplankton in Japan, 2000).

Google Image Search

Tail long
P. longicauda body, 90 x 56 μm tail, 60 μm near Mihashi Park Saitama, 2006	P. longicauda body, 84 x 58 μm tail, 77 μm Japan, 199?	P. longicauda body, 75 μm tail, 65 μm Sakitama-kofun p. Gyoda Saitama, 2004	P. longicauda body, 73 μm tail, 71 μm Uruguay, 1999
P. longicauda body, 70 μm tail, 77 μm near Town Hall Shobu Saitama, 2004	P. longicauda body, 155 μm tail, 70 μm Iyari marsh Omachi Nagano, 2007	P. longicauda body, 64 μm tail, 71 μm Uruguay, 1999	P. longicauda body, μm tail, μm Japan, 199?
P. longicauda body, 61 μm tail, 48 μm Takasaka Saitama, 2002	P. longicauda body, μm tail, μm Iruma Saitama, 2003	P. longicauda body, 48 μm tail, 50 μm water reservoir near Yamaguchi Univ. Yamaguchi, 2004	P. longicauda body, 50 μm tail, 30 μm Izumo Shrine Izumo Shimane, 2006
P. longicauda body, μm tail, μm Nogyo Fureai p. Toride Ibaraki, 2008
Tail short
P. longicauda, x 400 body, 81 x 60 μm tail, 61 μm Japan, 199?	P. longicauda, x 400 body, 80 x 50 μm tail, 48 μm Japan, 199?	P. longicauda ? body, 55 μm Mihashi Park Saitama, 2002
Cell body elongated
P. longicauda body, 84 x 59 μm tail, 60 μm Saitama, 1999

Please click on species name for more images.

Copyright Protist Information Server