Asterocaelum sp., cyst with spines (calcofluor) – photomicrograph René van Wezel
Genus Asterocaelum Canter, 1973
Diagnosis: Trophozoites with slender pseudopodia; some show a kind of dense axis observed light microscopically. Digestive cyst and resting stage with long thick spines. Feeding on algae, including cyanobacteria, by engulfing the whole cell. Pseudopodia resemble filopodia with a broad base.
Habitat: Reported from freshwater, in water blooms.
There are two described species in the genus:
- Mainly feeding on diatoms: A. algophilum Canter, 1973
- Mainly feeding on Anabaena: A. anabaenophilum Cook & Ahearn, 1976
Asterocaelum sp. – photomicrograph René van Wezel