Microscope Bus

Arcella

Sarcodina: Protozoans (amoebas) that move with pseudopodia

The Arcella is part of the Phylum Sarcodina. View more Sarcodina here.

Arcella

The Arcella is a small amoeba and belongs to the Phyllum Sarcodina.

It lives in a light brown or transparent chitinous "test" (shell). It is dome like on the top and concave on the bottom. They are from 50-200µm wide.

At left is a top and side view for comparison. The dots that look like eyes are the nuclei in the cell. Pseudopods extend out from the shell and are used for locomotion.

These are available from science supply companies and are quite interesting to watch.

Arcella