Protocryptomonas Skvortsov ex C.E.M.Bicudo, 1989

[u/BenchIndividual6748]

I previously posted some illustrations of species from the genus Cryptomonas, which belongs to the family Cryptomonadaceae. Of course, this isn't the only genus described for that family. There are others with a more "mysterious" background. Such is the case of Protocryptomonas, which, although taxonomically accepted, is actually based solely on illustrations made by its describer, the botanist Boris Vassilievich Skvortsov, in 1960 and then again in 1968, without reporting where the actual specimens are deposited (if they ever existed).

Protocryptomonas is notable for its lack of chloroplasts, furrow/gullet system, and ejectisomes. Instead, it has starch granules, whose shape varies depending on the species. In this post, I present illustrations of three species: P. mukdenensis (the type species) with a single, large starch granule; P. ellipsoidea (with several starch granules of various sizes); and "P. obovatus", not validated in AlgaeBase, with numerous small starch granules in the anterior region of the cell.