flagellar apparatus

Description:

Macrotrichomonas is a large devescovinid (26-91 µm) with three long anterior flagella and a well developed trailing flagellum, band-formed in some species. The recurrent flagellum is adhering to the cell body in the anterior half part of the cell in front of a large lamella-shaped cresta. The cresta extends from the surface to the parabasal filament which rolls (1-13 turns) around the axostyle under the nucleus. Axostyle tapering posteriorly with a posterior point. Seven species described in 23 termite hosts. Macrotrichomonas pulchra from Glyptotermes sp., Giemsa staining showing the recurrent flagellum attached to the large falx-shaped cresta, three anterior flagella, nucleus.