Elphidium – a shelled protozoan

Elphidium – a shelled protozoan

Elphidium – a shelled protozoan

Scientific Name: Elphidium sp.

Description:
We all know snails and other molluscs to have shells. But do you know that some protozoans also have shells? They are called foraminiferans. Elphidium sp.(=Polystomella sp.) is a genus of free-living marine foraminiferan. They have multi-chambered perforated shells which are spirally arranged. They extend long thread-like pseudopodia through those pores. For your information, pseudopodia (singular-pseudopodium) are the organs of locomotion for many protozoans.

Importance:
when they die, their shells fall on the ocean floor like a steady rain and contribute to the formation of bottom sediments, called ‘ooze’.