Infraciliature posterior apical view

Description:

Infraciliature (posterior apical view) of the haptorid ciliate, Perispira ovum (Stein, 1859). The cell body in vivo is cylindrical to ovoid. The longitudinal somatic kineties spiral slightly. An unciliated cortical ridge, bordered on either side by by a file of closely spaced kinetids, makes a complete right-hand spiral the length of the body. The posterior portion of this structure is seen here to the viewer's left. The three files of clavate cilia (dorsal brush) are seen at the viewr's upper right. The right-most kinety of the dorsal brush has longer cilia than the two kineties to it's left. Collected from anoxic bottom sediments of slow flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho December 2004. Stained by the silver carbonate technic (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.