portrait

Description:

Portrait of the dinoflagellate, Ceratium hirundinella (O.F. Müller) Schrank, 1882. The body is drawn out into a long anterior horn and three subequal posterior horns at angles to one another. The transverse girdle or cingulum bears a flagellum (not seen in this image), which differs structurally from the trailing flagellum (seen here between the right and central posterior horns). Complex faceted cellulose plates cover the body. Small discoid plastids contain chlorophyll a and c along with other pigments, which may give a yellow-brown or brownish-red color. Composite image. Collected from freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho September 2003. DIC optics.