Paralieberkuehnia elegantula sensu De Saedeleer, 1934

Diagnosis: Shell spherical, somewhat ovoid, without a distinct neck, but with an inward 5 µm long tubular structure; shell hyaline, somewhat greenish, weak but flexible; contractile vacuole at the base of the bundle of filopodia (peduncle or “Pseudopodienstiel”) together with other vacuoles; cytoplasm with numerous granules and vacuoles in the frontal region; filopodia numerous, starting from a bundle, branching, when disturbed anastomosing, long, sticking to the shell, very motile, with strong streaming of cytoplasm; numerous granules, rather equal in diameter.

Dimensions: De Saedeleer 25.5 µm long and 23 µm broad; nucleus c. 8.5 µm (n = 3); my measurements: 21 µm.

Ecology: Freshwater; shallow, iron rich water, between Sphagnum, but also in small rivers.

Remarks: De Saedeleer observed three specimens. He noted that one specimen had a contractile vacuole behind the nucleus and one specimen contained many symbiotic or not digested algae.

De Saedeleer mentions the presence of an inward tubular pseudostome as very characteristic. He thinks that these structure has been overlooked by Penard, but I have observed specimens which were exactly like Penards P. elegantula.

De Saedeleer includes in his description P. penardi De Saedeleer, 1932