portrait

Description:

Dorataspid acantharean, the cytoplasm is attached to the radiating strontium sulphate spicules by contractile myonemes. The outer cytoplasm (ectoplasmic layer) is filled with vacuoles, and most of the cytoplasmic organelles are located within the central capsule which is orange. The acantharea are one of the four types of large amoebae which occur in the marine water column. Dark ground image by Linda Amaral Zettler.