Peranema Dujardin 1841

Colourless, phagotrophic, elongate, gliding cells; very metabolic; canal opening subapical; muciferous bodies under the surface can be large; cysts and palmellae unknown; about 20 species from 8 to 200 µm in length. Ingestion apparatus with two support rods. Two flagella, the anterior one projects in front of gliding cells and most movement is confined to the tip, recurrent flagellum adheres to the cell surface. Cells with no recurrent flagellum are assignable to Jenningsia. Freshwater and marine, common in ponds, ditches, marshes, sediments and marine sands; cosmopolitan. Type species: Peranema trichophorum (Ehrenberg, 1832) Stein, 1878.

Heteronematine euglenids, colourless, phagotrophic, elongate, gliding cells; very metabolic; canal opening subapical; muciferous bodies large but cysts and palmellae unknown; about 20 species from 8 to 200 µm in length; ingestion apparatus with two support rods; 2 flagella, the anterior one projects in front of gliding cells and most movement is confined to the tip, recurrent flagellum adheres to the cell surface; cells with no recurrent flagellum are assignable to Jenningsia; freshwater and marine, common in ponds, ditches, marshes, sediments and marine sands; cosmopolitan. Type species: Peranema trichophorum (Ehrenberg, 1832) Stein, 1878.

Gliding, metabolic euglenid, cells from 48 - 140 microns long and 20 - 24 microns wide. Cell slightly spindle-shaped when gliding, but metabolic and more expanded when squirming. The cell is flattened and may be folded, the ventral side of cell has a wide convex gutter. The cell tapers anteriorly and the posterior end of the cell is pointed - sometimes with two points. The pellicle has strong longitudinal ridges (13 ridges per 10 microns). The anterior flagellum is about 1.0 cell length, the posterior flagellum is about 0.75 cell length and lies in the ventral groove which runs along the longitudinal hollow gutter. The ingestion apparatus has two strongly developed rods. Each rod is anteriorly swollen and a strongly-developed arc connects to them and to hyaline cytoskeletal material also extends anteriorly to create a collar alongside the emergence of the anterior flagellum from the cell. A contractile vacuole was observed in the anterior quarter of the cell very close to the flagellar pocket. Cells contain many roundish paramylon grains. Extrusomes not reported.