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Trepomonas steinii Klebs, 1892 from the northernmost saprobic edge benthos of the spring-fed freshwater coastal pond at Ocean Dunes Apartments in the Atlantic Double Dunes Preserve. This sampling site is situated 250 meters from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and is rich in decaying organic matter. Imaged in Nomarski DIC using Olympus BH2 under SPlan 40x objective plus variable phone cropping on Samsung Galaxy S9+.

Thanks to Ivan Čepička for identifying this observation. A diplomonad dance party. Today's slide from the northernmost saprobic edge benthos of spring-fed freshwater coastal pond at Ocean Dunes Apartments in the Atlantic Double Dunes Preserve got richer and richer in diplomonad flagellates the longer the slide sat on the stage.

Cells were approximately 8 um – the smallest of all the species of the genus Trepomonas I found. The cells were slightly flattened and had a characteristic teardrop shape at first glance to triangular shape. The rear end was narrower than the front.

Diplomonad flagellates include the gnera Trepomonas and Hexamita. Most genera of diplomonads are parasites, and the few genera that are free-living are usually found in organically enriched (and usually anaerobic) sites. The cells are bilaterally symmetrical along their longitudinal axis. There are two anterior nuclei, and associated with each are four flagella which arise at the head of a groove in the body surface. The genera may be distinguished by the relative lengths of the flagella and by the flexibility of the bodies. In both genera, one flagellum of both quartets extends laterally from the head of the groove. The remainder lie within the groove, with those of the more pliable Trepomonas not extending beyond the posterior margin of the cell, as do those of Hexamita . These organisms may feed either by eating bacteria or by pinocytosis.

Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa: a Color Guide 1st Edition By D.J. Patterson. CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group. p 64.