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ABSTRACT. The fine structure of the tomite of Foettingeria actiniarum (Claparède) was examined and compared with that of other apostome tomites. This stage in the life cycle has a unique configuration of kineties that form a spiral through the cytoplasm in the interior of the body. The structure and behavior of this internal spiral were evaluated as a mechanism for the storage of kinetosomes, an adaptation to the ciliate's two‐host life cycle. The spiral is composed of nine ribbons of laterally compressed kinetosomes that are in contact with a thin electron‐dense fibril. Paralleling the kineties of the spiral are conspicuous, swollen lamellae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum; these lamellae contain moderately electron‐dense material. The spiral is associated with the large contractile vacuole and winds about the macronucleus. The tomite of Foettingeria possesses a single, robust, caudal cilium located in a pit, along with the nozzle‐like pore of the contractile vacuole. The walls of the pit contain several trichocysts arranged radially about the caudal cilium and aimed into the pit.

Changes in the chemical composition of peanut hulls inoculated with the white-rot fungus, Coriolus versicolor, the brown-rot fungus, Poria placenta, the imperfect mould, Trichoderma reesei, the bacterium Arthrobacter sp. KB-1, a mixture of the four organisms, and the natural microflora associated with freshly shelled hulls were monitored over a 90 day period. At the conclusion of the incubation period, the in-vitro digestibility of the hulls was determined. Although there was a substantial increase in protein content of all samples, there was drastic reduction in the in-vitro digestibility. Of the four components monitored, lignin content was found to be significantly negatively correlated with digestibility. These results suggest that pretreatment of peanut hulls with microorganisms alone will not increase the ruminant digestibility of the hulls.