𝓇ℯ𝓁𝒶𝓅𝓈ℯ ?

I relapsed again.

I think loneliness just got the better of me, along with stress, because I'm not feeling well right now, especially gastric, haah... I need to try to relax and give myself a placebo effect again, otherwise I'll suffer more. It's difficult, but I trust it will help me for long enough.

Sometimes I dream about some of the girls I was once interested in, and I wake up knowing how they rejected me back then.

I know I should stop focusing on it, but I don't know why I keep dwelling on it.

This song always feels good when I'm lonely.

I'm watching an anime, "Class de 2-banme ni Kawaii Onnanoko to Tomodachi ni Natta." I usually find them cheesy and somewhat overdone because the central plot is so predictable. But right now it feels like a kind of artificial caress. Man, I really wish I were the protagonist of that universe.

This moment means everything (-̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥᷄_-̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥᷅ )

I regret being the way I am so much. I don't even have the courage to just say, "screw it all," and move on. This month was supposed to be productive, but I haven't made any progress. Hardly any. I didn't even manage to reach 20 illustrations in the end. I'm lazy, what else can I say? I have neither the desire nor the energy to continue the drawing I was working on.

Right now, I really want to sleep, but what's the point? Because I know it's just another way to avoid reality, in the end. I feel like everything is failing me, the adult world is horrible in many ways, and I'm just avoiding it. You can call me a NEET if you want, although I'm doing practically all the standard household chores, so I don't feel that useless, but I don't like it either, and I don't see myself being happy in 40 years doing the same pointless thing. "Why sweep if it'll be the same tomorrow?" Ugh, shitty vibes.

( ﾉ；；)ﾉ~┻━┻

( ﾉ；；)ﾉ~┻━┻

              ૮ ・ﻌ・ა

                                                 *:・ﾟ ₍ᐢ•ﻌ•ᐢ₎*:・ﾟ

What could she be doing now?

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

It doesn't matter. 

♻

She won't care what happens to me; she probably doesn't even remember anymore. 

I should at least try to pretend I'm doing the same thing. I'm mentally preparing myself for a reality where I'm alone, because I'm still very antisocial and I don't think I'm going to get any better. I try to go outside, but I always feel like a stranger.

And I think it's necessary to say this, but I have extensive conversations with ChatGPT. Yes, feel free to share your opinions. You can even criticize its environmental impacts. I suppose it's the price I pay to overcome the loneliness that's been imposed upon me. I discuss these topics with ChatGPT, and I'm aware that it's a bot and, ultimately, a large algorithm. 

What can I do? I'm a human being like everyone else. And I simply have to acknowledge its existence.

(☍﹏⁰)｡

But for now, I think that's enough to say in this post. 

I'll see if I do anything about it tonight.

Routine again. 【Ｙａｙ！】

.................................. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand back to normal life.

New problems, new complaints from outsiders.

Honestly, I think that's why I wasn't so excited to return from my research trip. Let me tell you right now: it went "well." The important thing is that it would be the first time I've received formal payment for it. Well, not so formal, because I still don't have the document that certifies I actually did something. These are damn documents you have to have, or you're screwed on your work experience. I should definitely remind my temporary employer of that from the week I was there. Anyway, I'm going back.

I actually got back a while ago. But I got distracted again by memes or reels that aren't funny anymore. Today, I'm just sleepy. At very early hours. Am I just getting "old"? Please, I'm not even 25 yet. Not yet.

I have an incredible urge to sleep. But I have to sort out some issues with my final project, regarding permits and things like that. I think that's it. The weight of all the problems that could arise, everything that could go wrong, discourages me from doing anything more today and makes me just want to go and rest, to let myself be embraced by the "sweet" darkness that is created when I close my eyes and try to ignore external reality, until I finally fall asleep. I think that darkness is one of the best feelings. Because I could say that "I like to sleep," but the truth is, for me, that's impossible to prove, because I don't feel "true" sleep; it's like a blackout. The moment when I'm still aware that I'm close to sleep is undoubtedly the best. Because then it seems like I'm free of all problems, that everything is alright. That I have no responsibilities to fulfill, nothing to prove to anyone.

(⸝⸝⸝-﹏-⸝⸝⸝)

I need to sleep right now. I really want to go dream, and I'm tied down by responsibilities. I have to prepare those permit documents. I have to try to write something about that final project.

(•﹏•;)

(•﹏•;)

(•﹏•;)

(•﹏•;)

It could also be because she stopped interacting. Not girl M, because she's already, at this point, a mere ghost. I'm referring to (2)1(1)_11(2)-(2)1(1)-(3)1-11(1)1. Wow, I was supposed to know how to decipher that code and get to the hidden name. But I don't remember anymore. It doesn't matter. She's in the past. The interaction died down, and I don't see the point in even trying, especially since I know she already had a boyfriend. But I at least hoped it would be some kind of strong friendship. But it seems not.

˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

I want to keep hiding in this writing. It makes me feel... nervous. A calm nervousness. I know I should stop hiding in this micro-verse of the notepad and go out into the macro-verse to face reality. But the liminal music is good and soft. Boring, but fitting. My mother is swearing in the background, complaining about her treatments and that I haven't done things right around the house. I prefer to pretend I'm deaf and that it's really a girl telling me I did my best today, despite everything.

I guess it's time to say goodbye to this moment, try to take care of my "responsibilities," and try to finish quickly so I can go embrace the sweet darkness of sleep.

Cryptomonas tetrapyrenoidosa Skuja 1948

I consider this illustration special because my main source for drawing Cryptomonas species is usually the illustrations already in Clay (2015); you can see that my inspiration clearly comes from there. But there isn't a previous illustration of this species, only micrographs that don't provide much information. You could say this is one of my first Cryptomonas illustrations that "almost came from nowhere," except for the text and the limited photographic information available. Yes, this is a paragraph where I declare that I'm proud of what I'm doing.

The illustrations are free to use under CC BY-SA 4.0, non-commercial, attribution required (DOTkamina 2026).

This species belongs to the family Cryptomonadaceae, order Cryptomonadales, class Cryptophyceae (commonly called "cryptomonad algae"). You know where this is going: cryptomonad algae are then included in the subphylum Rollomonadia, phylum Cryptista, subkingdom Hacrobia, kingdom Chromista. 

The kingdom Chromista is related to the clade Archaeplastida, which includes algae that are relatives and ancestors of plants. You might also encounter another classification, where the phylum Cryptista is included in the clade Pancryptista, which is related to Archaplastida, and both form the large CAM clade. But that's not really important; the point is that Cryptomonas tetrapyrenoidosa is another distant relative of plant ancestors.

The information written here, as well as the illustrations themselves, were based on the following sources:

• "CCAP 979/26. Cryptomonas tetrapyrenoidosa". CCAP s.f. Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa.
• "Chapter 18 - Cryptomonads". Brec L. Clay, 2015. Freshwater Algae of North America (Second Edition). Academic Press.
• "Cryptomonas tetrapyrenoidosa". Protist Information Server 2018.
• "Cryptomonas tetrapyrenoidosa Skuja 1948". M. D. Guiry in AlgaeBase. 2022.
• "Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Cryptomonas (Cryptophyceae, Cryptophyta) from Korea". Bomi Choi, Misun Son, Jong In Kim, Woongghi Shin. Algae, 28(4): 307-330. 2013. DOI: 10.4490/algae.2013.28.4.307

I drew this organism because it had a very long name. Which also gives many clues about its appearance: it has four pyrenoids, two in each chloroplast. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case; the number of pyrenoids can range from 6 to 7. It also has starch grains throughout the cell. By the way, C. tetrapyrenoidosa has two chloroplasts.

Dimensions: according to Clay (2015): 20–60 µm long, 10–27 µm wide, 5–17 µm deep. According to Protist Information Server (2018): 16–25 µm long, 8–13 µm wide, 7–12 µm thick. According to Choi et al. (2013): 16–22 µm long. Hmm, several dimensions to consider.

The name in Choi et al. (2013) should be noted that refers to Cryptomonas tetrapyrenoidosa (Skuja) Hoef-Emden et Melkonian 2003, a name whose equivalence to C. tetrapyrenoidosa Skuja, 1948, the species I have represented here, is uncertain.

According to Protist Information Server (2018), the species has two refractile bodies in the cell center. I am unsure if this term is equivalent to "maupas bodies," as they are technically the same in behavior: two structures found in several species (not only Cryptomonas, but also Chilomonas) that reflect light, hence their white and shiny appearance. However, I have decided to retain the term "refractile bodies" because, let's be honest, I am not an expert on this either. In Clay (2015) Figure 6G, two white oval-shaped circles can be seen in the cell center, which I consider micrographic visual evidence of these structures.

In Clay (2015) Figure 9A, there is an electron micrograph of the cell exterior of C. tetrapyrenoidosa which, thankfully, provides sufficient visual information about the shape of the vestibulum, the flagellar insertion, and the stoma location within the furrow. I have attempted to represent it somewhere between reality (that Figure 9A) and a more "simplified" way within the context of my illustration. I hope this is clear. In the illustration, I refer to the thin black line ending at the stoma as the "furrow," but the rest of the groove (dark gray) surrounding that black line would also be part of the "furrow." My intention was to depict the furrow as a groove-like structure with depth. I don't think I achieved that goal very well, to be honest.

Of course, there is a gullet, which has ejectisomes surrounding it. I don't know the exact arrangement, but I decided to use three rows of ejectisomes because that seems to be "the standard" in Cryptomonas species, according to the Protist Information Server (2018). But assume there can be more. Hey, while I'm at it, did you notice I used a different brush for the ejectisomes? IbisPaint has a special brush that you can temporarily unlock by watching an ad, and it draws like 3D beads. I thought it wouldn't look good, but I already tried it on the Cryptomonas erosa illustration and it turned out great, so I think I'll keep using it for a while longer.

The color is almost speculative, since in the Protist Information Server (2018) the cells appear bright green, but I've illustrated some Cryptomonas species before (not that many, but you get the idea) and they're always around a brownish color, so that's the color I decided to use for this illustration. They're also represented that way in CCAP (n.d.).

Regarding the flagella, their dimensions are almost speculative; I drew them by roughly estimating their size relative to the cell size in Clay (2015) Figure 9A. This time, unlike other species I have already illustrated, I am certain of the arrangement and shape of the mastigonemes on the flagella, since Kugrens et al. (1987) directly mentions that C. tetrapyrenoidosa has type I flagella. And this consists of: the long (dorsal) flagellum has two opposing rows of mastigonemes, each with a single terminal filament. The short (ventral) flagellum also has a single row of mastigonemes, each with two terminal filaments of different lengths. Additionally, there are approximately three terminal hairs at the end of the dorsal flagellum.

Both the mastigonemes and the additional filaments and hairs can only be seen with an electron microscope. Don't expect to see them with a light microscope. Even the flagella are sometimes difficult to see with a light microscope. I almost forgot: both flagella are located on the right side of the vestibule. That's from a dorsal view. In a ventral view, they appear to be on the left, but that's just an illusion!

Additionally, according to Clay (2015), Cryptomonas species generally have two nucleomorphs between the nucleus and the pyrenoids. Unfortunately, C. erosa does not have pyrenoids, so I have drawn the nucleomorphs above the nucleus. The nucleomorphs in this illustration are therefore speculative.

The shapes of the single reticulated mitochondrion, Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum are also speculative. In the case of the mitochondrion, it's a predicted reticulated shape based on what Santore and Greenwood (1977) explains, where it's mentioned that Cryptomonas has a single mitochondrion with numerous branches distributed throughout the cell, concentrated in areas like the gullet. It's assumed that these mitochondrial branches should have different thicknesses in various sections, but in my drawing, the width of these branches is almost uniform.

Will there be rule 34 of my OC?

I should be doing other things right now. Especially since I also have to study some user guides for special cameras. Because, as I mentioned in a previous post, next week I'll be going on a trip that could lead to my first real job. I'm excited about that, as well as about reaching 20 illustrations. I need to hurry and upload these files online and keep expanding my reach.

Cryptomonas erosa Ehrenberg 1832

And what better way to do it than with this song playing in the background?

(ﾟo´(┗┐ヽ(╰ , ╯ )ﾉ

Illustration 17 in the series. I finished it yesterday, April 8th. The illustrations are free to use under CC BY-SA 4.0, non-commercial, attribution required (DOTkamina 2026).

I was in an art course that had some interesting promises, but I didn't have the time. Nah, it actually bored me. I say that even though I'm not exactly the best person to claim I know anything about art, because it's clear I'm terrible at choosing colors, and I think there's a way I could improve my illustrations. Honestly, I didn't have the time, and I had to travel far away, and besides, I have more important projects to attend to. Did you know that probably? No, that most likely, sometime next week, I'll be heading off to what looks like my first paid job. I won't give any more details except that it involves invertebrates, but I'm excited about what it might mean.

Anyway, in this post, I'm going to talk about Cryptomonas erosa. I'm too lazy to explain the Taxonomy again, so I'll just copy and paste from someone else. I'll probably do the same to save myself some mental effort. This species belongs to the family Cryptomonadaceae, order Cryptomonadales, class Cryptophyceae (commonly called "cryptomonad algae"). You know where this is going: cryptomonad algae are then included in the subphylum Rollomonadia, phylum Cryptista, subkingdom Hacrobia, kingdom Chromista. 

The kingdom Chromista is related to the clade Archaeplastida, which includes algae that are relatives and ancestors of plants. You might also encounter another classification, where the phylum Cryptista is included in the clade Pancryptista, which is related to Archaplastida, and both form the large CAM clade. But that's not really important; the point is that Cryptomonas erosa is another distant relative of plant ancestors.

The information written here, as well as the illustrations themselves, were based on the following sources:

• "Chapter 18 - Cryptomonads". Brec L. Clay, 2015. Freshwater Algae of North America (Second Edition). Academic Press.
• "Cryptomonas erosa Ehrenberg, 1831". Martin Kreutz. Real Micro Life, 2021.
• "Cryptomonas erosa Ehrenberg 1832". M. D. Guiry in AlgaeBase. 2022.
• "Cryptomonas erosa/ovata/phaseolus". Part of; Steckbriefe der Phytoplankton-Indikatortaxa. Kasten J., Kusber W.-H., Riedmüller U., Tworeck A., Oschwald L. & Mischke U. Berlin: Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin. –  177 pp., ISBN 978-3-946292-28-9, https://doi.org/10.3372/spi.01. 2018.

The cells are oval or slightly elliptical, 13 to 45 µm long and 6 to 26 µm wide. They have two chloroplasts without pyrenoids, like Cryptomonas phaseolus, but the difference in that respect is the cell size. More important is the color: the chloroplasts in Cryptomonas erosa range from brown to yellowish to greenish. I have chosen to represent it as an intermediate point between brown and yellowish (with a small green base, although I don't think it's very noticeable).

Another characteristic is that the dorsal side is significantly convex, while the ventral side is only slightly convex, or even flat. In the micrographs by Kreutz (2021), I don't see a large convexity (outward curvature) on the dorsal side, but it does appear to be more curved than the ventral side.

Another difference from C. phaseolus is that C. erosa has maupas bodies.

The contractile vacuole is located anteriorly, next to the flagellar insertion point. From a ventral view, it would appear to the right of the flagellar region. Dorsally, it would appear on the left side.

In C. erosa, the gullet is covered with ejectisomes (which shouldn't be surprising if you know about Cryptomonas species), and it extends up to half the length of the cell. It doesn't go beyond that half. The gullet connects to the outside through the vestibulum. The starch grains are distributed throughout the cell and have polygonal or oval shapes.  Since it has the cryptomorph shape, I have represented the furrow as a complex one (with the presence of a stoma). You can find out more about this in the post on Cryptomonas obovata.

Kreutz (2021) mentions that the flagella are the same length, but both there and in Clay (2015) Figure 5D, they are depicted as unequal. I have decided to represent them as very similar in size, such that the dorsal flagellum is slightly longer.

The flagella of C. erosa are represented as if they had type 1 flagella according to Kugrens et al. (1987). This decision is speculative. I haven't found any information on what they actually look like; I assume they correspond to type 1, because it's the most common type (or the one that should be the most common) according to Kugrens et al. (1987). In this type 1 flagella, the long (dorsal) flagellum has two opposing rows of mastigonemes, each with a single terminal filament. The short (ventral) flagellum also has a single row of mastigonemes, each with two terminal filaments of different lengths. Additionally, there are approximately three terminal hairs at the end of the dorsal flagellum.

Both the mastigonemes and the additional filaments and hairs can only be seen with an electron microscope. Don't expect to see them with a light microscope. Even the flagella are sometimes difficult to see with a light microscope. I almost forgot: both flagella are located on the right side of the vestibule. That's from a dorsal view. In a ventral view, they appear to be on the left, but that's just an illusion!

Additionally, according to Clay (2015), Cryptomonas species generally have two nucleomorphs between the nucleus and the pyrenoids. Unfortunately, C. erosa does not have pyrenoids, so I have drawn the nucleomorphs above the nucleus. The nucleomorphs in this illustration are therefore speculative.

The shapes of the single reticulated mitochondrion, Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum are also speculative. In the case of the mitochondrion, it's a predicted reticulated shape based on what Santore and Greenwood (1977) explains, where it's mentioned that Cryptomonas has a single mitochondrion with numerous branches distributed throughout the cell, concentrated in areas like the gullet. It's assumed that these mitochondrial branches should have different thicknesses in various sections, but in my drawing, the width of these branches is almost uniform.

I want to remind you that this mini visualization of the ventral view of C. erosa is simplified, indicating the parts most potentially visible under an optical microscope.

I think that's all I had to say about this organism. I have another illustration pending upload, which I'll also post about. I'm excited because I'm about to reach my goal of 20 illustrations. I don't want to think too much about having to do 100 because I feel like it will discourage me. Fortunately, things in my life have improved slightly.

Cryptomonas phaseolus Skuja 1948

And well, this would be the third Cryptomonas species I've illustrated. I don't know whether to celebrate it as some kind of major event, but oh well. Actually, I'm writing this paragraph while watching an episode of standard Roncom, and I don't think I'll write any more. The goal is simply to get this post started.

Well, I think I've finally decided to write a little. In this post, I'll talk about Cryptomonas phaseolus. It's a species whose specific epithet makes me laugh; it's like they're talking about beans. The illustrations are free to use under CC BY-SA 4.0, non-commercial, attribution required (DOTkamina 2026).

This species belongs to the family Cryptomonadaceae, order Cryptomonadales, class Cryptophyceae (commonly called "cryptomonad algae"). You know where this is going: cryptomonad algae are then included in the subphylum Rollomonadia, phylum Cryptista, subkingdom Hacrobia, kingdom Chromista. The kingdom Chromista is related to the clade Archaeplastida, which includes algae that are relatives and ancestors of plants. You might also encounter another classification, where the phylum Cryptista is included in the clade Pancryptista, which is related to Archaplastida, and both form the large CAM clade. But that's not really important; the point is that Cryptomonas phaseolus is another distant relative of plant ancestors.

The information written here, as well as the illustrations themselves, were based on the following sources:

• "Chapter 18 - Cryptomonads". Brec L. Clay, 2015. Freshwater Algae of North America (Second Edition). Academic Press.
• "Cryptomonas erosa/ovata/phaseolus". Part of; Steckbriefe der Phytoplankton-Indikatortaxa. Kasten J., Kusber W.-H., Riedmüller U., Tworeck A., Oschwald L. & Mischke U. Berlin: Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin. –  177 pp., ISBN 978-3-946292-28-9, https://doi.org/10.3372/spi.01. 2018.
• "Cryptomonas phaseolus Skuja 1948". M. D. Guiry in AlgaeBase. 2022.
• "Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Cryptomonas (Cryptophyceae, Cryptophyta) from Korea". Bomi Choi, Misun Son, Jong In Kim, Woongghi Shin. Algae, 28(4): 307-330. 2013. DOI: 10.4490/algae.2013.28.4.307

I hope I don't take too long with this species. 

According to Clay (2015), it is the smallest Cryptomonas species, measuring 8 to 13 µm in length and 5 to 8 µm in diameter. It has an ellipsoidal shape in lateral view and an oval shape in cross-section. The anterior end has a rounded protrusion just above the flagellar insertion site, while the posterior end is slightly narrower. Oh, and it has two chloroplasts without pyrenoids. Graphically, as shown in Clay (2015) Figure 5C, it has several starch grains distributed throughout the cell. Classic cryptomonad structures are also present, such as the gullet covered with ejectisomes and the furrow. Since it has the cryptomorph shape, I have represented the furrow as a complex one (with the presence of a stoma). You can find out more about this in the post on Cryptomonas obovata.

That is all the formal information available about the species. The shapes of the single reticulated mitochondrion, Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, contractile vacuole, mastgigonemes/terminal hairs and nucleomorphs are purely speculative. In the case of the mitochondrion, it's a predicted reticulated shape based on what Santore and Greenwood (1977) explains, where it's mentioned that Cryptomonas has a single mitochondrion with numerous branches distributed throughout the cell, concentrated in areas like the gullet. It's assumed that these mitochondrial branches should have different thicknesses in various sections, but in my drawing, the width of these branches is almost uniform.

The flagella of C. phaseolus are represented as if they had type 1 flagella according to Kugrens et al. (1987). This decision is equally speculative, and it doesn't so much affect the flagella as the nature of the mastigonemes. I haven't found any information on what they actually look like; I assume they correspond to type 1, because it's the most common type (or the one that should be the most common) according to Kugrens et al. (1987). In this type 1 flagella, the long (dorsal) flagellum has two opposing rows of mastigonemes, each with a single terminal filament. The short (ventral) flagellum also has a single row of mastigonemes, each with two terminal filaments of different lengths. Additionally, there are approximately three terminal hairs at the end of the dorsal flagellum.

Both the mastigonemes and the additional filaments and hairs can only be seen with an electron microscope. Don't expect to see them with a light microscope. Even the flagella are sometimes difficult to see with a light microscope. I almost forgot: both flagella are located on the right side of the vestibule. That's from a dorsal view. In a ventral view, they appear to be on the left, but that's just an illusion!

Regarding the two nucleomorphs, apparently, according to Clay (2015), Cryptomonas species generally have two nucleomorphs between the nucleus and the pyrenoids. Unfortunately, C. phaseolus does not have pyrenoids, so I have drawn the nucleomorphs above the nucleus.

Cryptomonas phaseolus (Skuja) Hoef-Emden 2007.

Now, next to the main image, there is another ventral view that represents, in a very simplified way, a strange strain I found in the article by Choi et al. (2013) (Figures 11 G and H): Cryptomonas phaseolus (Skuja) Hoef-Emden 2007. I already checked it on AlgaeBase and it's not listed there as a synonym of Cryptomonas phaseolus Skuja 1948. The morphology is identical to that of C. phaseolus Skuja 1948, except that C. phaseolus (Skuja) Hoef-Emden 2007 does have one pyrenoid per chloroplast (there are two chloroplasts, so there are two pyrenoids). Could it be a synonym of another species that has nothing to do with C. phaseolus Skuja 1948? Who knows? But if you find out anything, let me know in the comments. 

Yes, that uncertainty is why I haven't decided to make a version indicating the parts only for that strain, taxon, or whatever it's called... I was just too lazy, really. Maybe I'll make a version in the future, but don't count on me too much.

I think that's all I have to say. I have to write for the other species. See you.

Falcomonas daucoides (W.Conrad & H.Kufferath) D.R.A.Hill 1991

The first organism drawn this month.

Just a reminder that these images are free to use under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. They are for non-commercial purposes only (if you'd like to discuss this further or use any of these images for a paid cultural project, such as a documentary, please contact me). You must also credit the image creators. "DOTkamina 2026" is more than sufficient.

Hey, I should step out of my comfort zone a bit and draw something else, don't you think? I've been thinking about drawing fish; it's always good to draw fish.

But anyway, I don't want to get off topic. My mom's coming down the door right now, and honestly, I've been really engrossed in playing games, why lie? My excuse is that I've spent a lot of my time on these illustrations I'm presenting in this particular post. I haven't swept the house or cooked anything, so I'm absolutely cooked rn.

I'll give more details about what happens to me later; I hope I survive. I hope it doesn't leave me so discouraged that I abandon writing this post.

Hahaha I came back.

Falcomonas daucoides is a species of unicellular microalga belonging to the class Cryptophyceae. It is therefore a cryptophyte alga, like others I have illustrated previously. More interestingly, it is included in the order Pyrenomodales. This means it is related to the family Pyrenomonadaceae (which includes Pyrenomonas helgolandii and Pyrenomonas ovalis, which I illustrated some time ago). Falcomonas daucoides is not in that family, by the way, but in Hemiselmidaceae.

More broadly, the class Cryptophyceae is included in the superclass Cryptomonada, and this in the phylum Cryptista, clade Pancryptista. The latter is related to the clade Archaeplastida, which includes the ancestors and close relatives of plants (Viridiplantae). F. daucoides is common in marine habitats, according to Kugrens et al. (2000).

I almost gave up on drawing Falcomonas daucoides because I couldn't find much information about it. The main sources I used to create these drawings and the information are:

• "Chroomonas and other blue-green cryptomonads". David R. A. Hill 1991. 
• "Order Cryptomonadida". Paul Kugrens, Robert E. Lee and David R. A. Hill. In: J. J. Lee, G. F. Leedale & P. Bradbury (ed.), An Illustrated Guide to the Protozoa. 2nd ed. 2000. p. 1111–1125.
• "Periplast development in Cryptophyceae III. Development of crystalline surface plates in Falcomonas daucoides, Proteomonas sulcata [haplomorph], and Komma caudata". Steve Brett and Richard Wetherbee. Protoplasma, 1996. 192: 49-56.

There isn't much to say. It has two flagella, as is common in several cryptomonads. I couldn't find information about the nature of the mastigonemes on the flagella, so I assumed they must follow the form of type 1 mastigonemes according to Kugrens et al. (1987), because it is (or should be) the most common type. In this type, the short flagellum has a single row of mastigonemes with two terminal hairs (one longer than the other), while the long flagellum has two rows of mastigonemes, each with a single terminal hairs. Additionally, at the end of the long flagellum, there are three terminal hairs.

The forms of the mitochondrion, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus are speculative. There is only a single reticulated mitochondrion, as is assumed to occur in all cryptomonads. In the case of the Golgi apparatus, it is indeed visible in Hill (1991) Figure 35, but the image quality is so poor that its shape is not discernible. Hill (1991) also mentions that the Golgi apparatus is located anteroventrally. For F. daucoides, I found no information on the existence of a contractile vacuole, but according to Clay (2015), cryptomonads possess at least one, so I have included it. The organism also has a nucleus with a nucleolus and a nucleomorph located above the pyrenoid (located anteriorly). This is a good time to mention that I forgot to indicate the anterior and posterior portions, but they are essentially above and below in the lateral view, respectively.

Things get interesting with the pyrenoid. It is covered with a starch sheath, but the important point is that it is almost divided by an inlet of the cytoplasm, which is called the "cytoplasmic tongue." Regarding the vestibulum (the depression on the cell surface from which the flagella emerge, and which connects to the furrow-gullet digestive complex), it is accompanied by the vestibular plate, located within the vestibule margin, to the left of the flagellar emergence site. The surface of the vestibular plate is composed of triangular crystalline subunits.

The furrow-gullet complex is interesting. The furrow is simply the long depression that runs from the vestibulum posteriorly, in the case of F. daucoides, to approximately the middle of the cell. The "gullet" is not described as a true gullet; Kugrens et al. (2000) refers to it as a sac-like gullet. Another interesting feature is the presence of two bands made of microtubules: the mid-ventral band (MVB), which originates posteriorly and extends toward and along the left fold of the furrow, and the rim fiber, located on the right fold of the furrow. You'll probably notice that in the illustration, the rim fiber appears to be on the left and the MVB on the right. This is an illusion of orientation, as the organism depicted is "looking" at us ventrally, so its right side appears to be on the left, and vice versa.

The chloroplast has thylakoids that are slightly arranged in pairs, but I haven't represented that very well. The chloroplast is located on the dorsal side of the cell. The chloroplast seems to occupy mainly the "main body" of the cell and is absent from the posterior part, where the cell's "tail" is located. By "tail," I mean the posterior end that gives the organism a comma-like appearance. The chloroplast contains Cr-phycocyanin 569, which gives it a blue-green color. That's why in my illustration the tones are mainly blue-green (almost turquoise). Keep in mind, however, that the colors are primarily for illustrative purposes and don't correspond to reality.

According to Brety and Wetherbee (1996), the plasma membrane (or plasmalemma) is sandwiched between the two layers of the periplast: the surface periplast component SPC (made of hexagonal plates, each composed of minute subunits, with disordered minute subunits in the spaces between these plates) and the inner periplast component IPC. Few details are given about the IPC; Kugrens et al. (2000) imply that the IPC plates are also hexagonal.

Finally, I must mention the ejectisomes, which appear to be large in F. daucoides. The furrow is lined with 2 to 4 rows of ejectisomes. I have chosen to represent only two rows.

Well, I think that's all there is to say.

Retry

(ﾉ･_-)☆

I don't care what I have to do now. This is more important. I'll try my best with the illustrations this month. 

It's a bit of a lie, but I guess it's a good start.