Trichomitopsis

Flagellates ranging in size from 11-150 µm, living in termites, with four free anterior flagella and a recurrent one associated with a well-developed undulating membrane; short free posterior recurrent flagellum. Costa stout; axostyle stout with a terminal segment often expanded into a pointed bulbous enlargement. Parabasal long and sausage-shaped. Electron microscopy of T. termopsidis has shown the trichomonad features, the lamellar-type UM, and the associated recurrent flagellum enlarged by a paraxonemal fibre. The costa is of the B-type pattern with a pronounced lattice structure. By the costa and UM structure, this genus seems more closely related to genera of Trichomonadinae. A special study has shown that the costa of T. termitidis is contractile and undulates in the cytoplasm (Amos et al., 1979). The best known species is T. termopsidis from Zootermopsis angusticollis (Kirby, 1931); other species with four anterior flagella and living in termites could be included in this genus: T. termitis, T. barbouri, T. cartagoensis (Honigberg, 1963). Light microscopy in Kirby (1931) and Cleveland (1961), scanning views in Yamin (1979b), electron microscopy in Hollande and Valentin (1968) and Amos et al. (1979). Type species: Trichomitopsis termopsidis (Cleveland, 1925).