Lohmanniella spiralis Leegaard 1915

Body subspherical, fixed with one side flattened (Fig 1,5,6,10); 46 (35-60) µm long, 44 (35-60) µm wide.; Oral cavity acentric, funnel-shaped; 36 (33-40) EPks and 13 (8-20) IPks; IPk and EPk contiguous, some may be continuous (Fig 1,2,8,9); paroral kinety consists of 20-25 kinetids (not visible in Lugol?s fixed material).; 5 somatic kineties with their cilia directed to the right (when viewed from aboral); K1 slightly dextrally spiralled, K2 describes characteristic arc and has a crook at the end (Fig 1,5,7,10), K5 describes partial circle, originates and ends towards the anterior (Fig 1,7).; One macronucleus, C-shaped, around the oral cavity and below EPZ, opening near the cytostome (Fig 1,2,6,8-10); 1 micronucleus, often indented into the macronucleus, opposite to the cytostome (Fig 1).

Cell subspherical one side often flattened; oral cavity acentric, funnel-shaped; one macronucleus, C-shaped, anterior; 1 micronucleus; 5 somatic kineties, K5 describes partial circle, originates and ends towards the anterior; K1 and K2 form the flat side on the posterior part of the cell

Flagellates (515 µm)

Temperature: 5-20 ºC ; Salinity: 30-33 ?

Petz and Foissner (1992) defined the spiralling of the somatic kineties at the posterior end as distinguishing character for the genus Strobilidium, and thus transferred all but one species to the genus Rimostrombidium. Partially based on this diagnosis, Petz et al. (1995) erected the new genus Pelagostrobilidium and included Strobilidium spiralis as Pelagostrobilidium spirale. We do not follow this suggestion but consider the covering of the somatic cilia by a cytoplasmic flap as diagnostic character for the genus Strobilidium (Lynn & Montagnes 1988).

Rotates in one position, then jumps 24 body lengths