Euglena has a stiff cell membrane known as a pellicle, which can be seen easily in these two photos. Euglena’a pellicle is composed of protein strips that wrap around the cell. Towards the left side of the cell in the featured photo is a single red eyespot. Around the middle of the cell is an elongated ring-like structure called a paramylon. The paramylon was briefly mentioned in an earlier post regarding Phacus.
Below: The pellicle strips can clearly be seen in this photomicrograph (the photo may be a little blurry).
