Loxodes magnus is one of the largest and most conspicuous ciliates in the sapropel. I find in all my sampling sites with a layer of decaying mud. The specimens are mostly brownish or yellow-brown colored due to pigment granules in the pellicle. But I have also found almost colorless specimens (s. fig. 3). Often Loxodes magnus is found together with the other two species Loxodes rostrum and Loxodes striatus in the samples. From the body shape the Loxodes species look similar, by the curved, beak-shaped anterior end. However, Loxodes magnus differs from these two species by its size (mostly > 400 µm) and by a large number of macronuclei (mostly 17) distributed in the cytoplasm (s. figs. 2 and 3). The micronuclei, which are also present in large numbers, are partially adjacent to the macronuclei or are also distributed in the cytoplasm (s. fig. 3). The other two species Loxodes striatus and Loxodes rostrum possess only two macronuclei, which are either widely separated (Loxodes striatus) or close together (Loxodes rostrum). In addition, the species Loxodes rostrum still possesses characteristic symbiotic algae, which are absent in Loxodes magnus.

The genus Loxodes has specially constructed Müller vesicles. These are constant vacuoles in which a druse of barium sulfate crystals sits on a plasma stalk (s. also Loxodes striatus). It is assumed that this organelles serves for orientation in the water body, similar to an organ of balance. Loxodes magnus has 10–24 of these organelles, which are arranged in a row on the dorsal side. They can be recognized quite easily by the highly refractive barium sulfate crystals that shine brightly in DIC (s. fig. 4).