Gregarina cuneata trophozoite from the mealworm, Tenebrio molitor.
This gregarine lives in the gut where it attaches to the gut wall. It
consists of a rather large cell composed of three parts, an epimerite,
protomerite and deutomerite. The epimerite embeds itself in a mucosal
cell. This is a transverse section revealing the epicytic folds of the
deutomerite. Though the projections appear to be tubular, they are
actually long folds, that give the organism a corrugated topographical
appearance. The surface of the folds has a pentalaminar layering.
Myonemes (MY) can be seen as granules though they are actually long, slender
rods. Though the organism is often thought of as non-motile, it can
undergo slow, rhythmic undulations of the surface. Paraglycogen (PA) can
be seen, as well as polyribosomes (PR) and free ribosomes (R). The basal
lamina can also been seen (BL). 70,000x