Arcella rotundata, 42 µm
Arcella rotundata Playfair, 1918
Diagnosis: shell with a depressed dome in side-view, expanded at the sides above the baseline; no basal angles, the margin of the dome merging into the base in a single, broadly rounded curve.
Dimensions: literature: diameter 47-62 µm, height 25-30 µm.
Remarks: In a recent study Lahr and Lopes (2009) showed that Arcella hemisphaerica and A. rotundata are indistinguishable. They consider both species as a single entity. See Arcella hemisphaerica Perty, 1852.
The main feature that could separate individuals of A. rotundata from those of A. hemisphaerica is the larger semi-circle contour in lateral view, but this could also fall within the natural variation. Further observations and measurements are needed.
Arcella rotundata
Arcella rotundata, 47 µm – Austria, Tirol