Microworld

world of amoeboid organisms

Difflugia-lebes
Difflugia lebes, 239 µm

Difflugia lebes Penard, 1899

Diagnosis: Neck sometimes indistinct, aperture large and entire. Shell very fragile, covered with siliceous flattened particles. Collar straight, rarely recurved (= var. elongata Penard). Sometimes more than 100 nuclei.

Dimensions: One of the greatest Difflugia, some reaching 400 µm in length, or more. My measurements: 235-239 µm (n=4)

Ecology: Feeds on large diatoms. Habitat ooze at the bottom of lakes, ponds.

Remarks: Though Penard mentions this a very large species, specimens in one of his stained slides (see below) are not larger than 279 µm. I’m not sure if this is a true species. What is the difference with with tests of D. urceolata with a less developed collar?

Varieties:

D. lebes sphaerica Gauthier-Lièvre et Thomas, 1958
Test spherical. The pseudostome is large, rounded.
Length 270-290 µm, width 270-290 µm, diameter pseudostome 130-180 µm.

D. lebes masurica Schönborn, 1965
It differs from the typical form of small size.
Length 150–200 µm, width 150–180 µm.

Difflugia lebes
Difflugia lebes
Difflugia lebes
Difflugia lebes
Left: Drawing by Penard in Faune Rhizopodique (1902); Right: 235 µm high – Crailoo
Difflugia lebes
Difflugia lebes, 279 µm. Collection of Eugène Penard: this specimen of Difflugia lebes was stained and mounted by Penard. He send this slide to the late Dr. A.A. De Groot, who was so kind to gave it to me.
Ferry Siemensma, created February 23, 2019; last modified November 23, 2022
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