Genus: Flask-shaped; elongate, flattened; anterior region neck-like; cilia only on right side;
without trichocyst-borders; cytostome with trichocysts; two macronuclei (Kudo, 1966).
Species: |
Litonotus lamella (Ehrenberg, 1838) Schewiakoff, 1896 (Syn. L. binucleatus (Kahl, 1933) Hartwig, 1973; L. obtusus (Maupas, 1888) Kahl, 1930): Very common; broad, 200 μm long; anterior curved; posterior tending towards a point; many trichocysts in the buccal region; a single contractile vacuole; two spherical macronuclei (Carey, 1992).
L. fusidens (Kahl, 1926): Pear shaped, 100 μm long; no true neck region, posterior rounded; large trichocysts in the oral area; two macronuclei with intercalated micronucleus; a contractile vacuole posteior (Carey, 1992).