You know what?
I was going to postpone this drawing until next week, but I think I'm going to have a meltdown because tomorrow I have to justify the rejected aspects of my final graduation project to the Honorable University Council. The best part is, I think I've identified weaknesses that even my advisor couldn't see. And I think they're going to humiliate me. Yes, I know that's how the scientific world is, that's how they teach you and all that. But when you don't have enough resources to keep messing around, waiting to finish your degree isn't... it's not an option. It would be if it were guaranteed that by doing this well, I'd have a good job. But not even that. That's why the stress. If I take any longer, I'll lose the opportunity to at least work in something other than what I studied. Who knows; waiter, janitor, kitchen helper, selling things on the street. But again, the younger the better, because for some reason, world despise uneducated old people.
So, tomorrow is my extinction event. I might publish something about it. But, as a final act of proving I'm not that stupid, I rushed to finish this pending drawing for The Protist Series. Because I would de extinct tomorrow. If it's destructive, my performance and desire to contribute will die again. So, I'd better take advantage of the time and publish this.
Paramastix conifera Skuja, 1948 is a predator. It belongs to the clade Disparia, which may be distantly related within the Diaphoretickes complex, which includes the close relatives of plant ancestors (Archaeplastida). For the illustrations, I relied on the information and images available in this article, "Rediscovery of the multiflagellated protist Paramastix conifera Skuja 1948 (Protista incertae sedis)" by Zölffel and Skibbe (1997). The description I will give of the organism is also based on the same article.
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What to consider from these images: the organism has two parts, the anterior and the posterior. The preceding structure is the equivalent of a "head." It has a nipple-like protrusion called a "papilla." Inside the papilla is an aggregation of microtubules forming a cytostome, which acts as the organism's mouth. Under a light microscope, this cytostome is barely visible. At the base of the papilla are two furrows (only one is shown in the image; the other is assumed to be on the opposite side and therefore not visible). Extending from each furrow is a row of flagella, called "kinety." Here, they are represented as having eight flagella for each furrow, making a total of 16... but the total number can vary from 16 to 20. Under a microscope, the flagella are very fragile and break easily, giving the appearance of fewer flagella.
The organism typically has one or two contractile vacuoles and numerous food vacuoles. Paramastix conifera preys on algae, primarily small cryptophytes and phytomonad-like algae. In the illustration of predation (see below), I depict it devouring a specimen of Komma caudata (L.Geitler) D.R.A.Hill 1991, previously known as Chroomonas caudata L.Geitler. This is a species of cryptophyte, a group of organisms even more closely related to plants.
No, there is no report of Paramastix conifera specifically preying on Komma caudata; this is merely my own deductive interpretation, since Komma caudata is a small cryptophyte that can fit inside P. conifera. I based this on size: Paramastix conifera can reach a size of 10 to 18 µm in length and 9 to 12 µm in width. Komma caudata reaches a length of 8 to 12 µm and a width of 4 to 6 µm (Kugrens and Clay 2003). For the predation illustration, it's assumed that the depicted P. conifera is 18 x 9 µm, and the ingested K. caudata is 8 x 4 µm. This is a visual estimate; I didn't actually draw it to scale.
Another reason I chose K. caudata is because there are reports of it being found in freshwater in Germany. P. conifera has also been found in a freshwater body in Germany, specifically in a shallow dimictic lake in the northwestern outskirts of Berlin. I haven't considered the specific environmental ranges and habitat conditions of both organisms, so keep in mind that P. conifera may never have actually coexisted with K. caudata. No, I didn't find better "prey" because they were the same size as, or larger than, P. conifera.
Speaking of predation: this process is simple. As shown in the illustration, the predator first detects its prey, then captures it with its papilla (pseudopodia have not been observed), which expands to ingest the prey. While ingesting, a new food vacuole begins to form. According to the article by Zölffel and Skibbe (1997), it's normal to see P. conifera with several food vacuoles, containing the remains of the algae and related organisms it consumes. It's due to this diet that the color of P. conifera ranges from greenish to brownish.
In the illustration, I depict three types of vacuoles (these aren't formal types; this is entirely my artistic interpretation): one with greenish-yellow tones and a dark green background (this is assumed to be a recent-digestion vacuole), two with a more yellowish-turquoise hue (these are mid-digestion vacuoles), and four almost transparent with light blue tones and yellowish-brown spots (these are late-digestion vacuoles, and the color is due to the degradation of chlorophyll in the prey). Keep in mind that food vacuoles are not fixed structures and don't have a standard quantity: once digestion is complete, they degrade.
Before continuing, I forgot to mention that the representation of Komma caudata and P. conifera in the predation diagram is simplified. In the case of K. caudata, I based my work on Figure 11A and photograph 12A from Chapter 21, "Cryptomonads", of the book "Freshwater Algae of North America" by Kugrens and Clay (2003). Please note that the colors in all illustrations are merely representative. Except for the green tones of P. conifera due to prey (and even then, that representation is still creative), the rest are purely for illustrative and schematic purposes and do not correspond to the actual colors.
What else am I forgetting to mention? Oh, right, the organelles: in the anatomical illustration of P. conifera, I depict several small mitochondria, a Golgi apparatus, and an endoplasmic reticulum (both smooth and rough are assumed to be present). These are structures that are assumed to exist in all eukaryotic cells, but there is no defined morphology or numerical quantity for all organisms. I couldn't find that information for P. conifera or related species, so the shape, number, and size of the mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, and endoplasmic reticulum are purely speculative. At least for mitochondria, the general consensus is that eukaryotic cells have "tens to hundreds" of them.
A sh1t. But understandable I swear.
(┳Д┳)
I think that's all I have to say. These images are available on Wikimedia Commons and can be used freely, for non-commercial purposes, of course. Want to use them for an article, thesis, or anything else? Please be sure to give me proper credit: DOTkamina 2025.
