Description of Astasia granulata
provided by BioPedia
Astasia cells, metabolic, may swim, cell shape very variable from club-shaped, cylindrical to carrot-like, 38 - 48 microns long. One flagellum about 1.0 CL arises from the cell apex which is truncated. The pellicle has fine spiral stripes about 0.5 microns apart. A spherical nucleus is present in the middle or posteriorly and a contractile vacuole lies in the anterior part of the cell near the flagellar pocket. The cell contains many ovoid or cylindrical refractile granules anteriorly and small roundish grains posteriorly. During all metabolic movements there is a nipple-shaped protruberance at the posterior end of cell.
