Mastigoneme

Typology of flagella with hairs:

• whiplash flagella (= smooth, acronematic flagella): without hairs but may have extensions , e.g., in Opisthokonta
• hairy flagella (= tinsel, flimmer, pleuronematic flagella): with hairs (= mastigonemes sensu lato), divided in:
  • with fine hairs (= non tubular, or simple hairs): occurs in Euglenophyceae, Dinoflagellata, some Haptophyceae (Pavlovales)
  • with stiff hairs (= tubular hairs, retronemes, mastigonemes sensu stricto), divided in:
    • bipartite hairs: with two regions. Occurs in Cryptophyceae, Prasinophyceae, and some Heterokonta
    • tripartite (= straminipilous) hairs: with three regions (a base, a tubular shaft, and one or more terminal hairs). Occurs in most Heterokonta/Stramenopiles

Observations of mastigonemes using light microscopy dates from the nineteenth century. Considered artifacts by some, their existence would be confirmed with electron microscopy.