portrait

Description:

Chroomonas, a blue-green cryptomonad flagellate. Cell is ovoid with two nearly equal-length flagella which emerge from a subapical vestibulum. The flagella can be seen in the invaginated gullet anteriorly. A contractile vacuole is seen adjacent to the gullet on the left. A cup shaped chloroplast contains Cr-phycocyanins, imparting the blue-green color. The periplast of Chroomonas, contains delicate plates sometimes visible on light microscopy as subtle serrations but not seen in this image. Ejectisomes are present along the gullet (small group of refractile granules on the organism's left anteriorly in this image) and beneath the periplast. A stigma is present in some species. Round starch granules are visible peripherally. From temporary rainwater pool near Boise, Idaho. Oblique illumination.