portrait

Description:

Portrait of the nassophorean ciliate, Chilodontopsis depressa (Perty, 1852). This image shows a coronal optical section through the cell center. The cell is dorsoventrally flattened. The right side is convex meeting the straight left side at a rostrum. The somatic ciliature (not seen here) is denser on the ventral side with an indistinct feathery hypostomial frange of cilia slanting posteriorly to the cytostome from the rostrum anteriorly to the right margin of the body. The right ventral kineties curve around the anterior end to meet the straight left ventral kineties to the left of the cytostome at the line of the hypostomial frange. The cytopharyngeal basket or cyrtos is seen anteriorly. A distinctive large contractile vacuole fills the posterior end of the cell. The central macronucleus and micronucleus are spherical. C. depressa feeds on bacteria, diatoms (seen in this cell) and green algae. Collected from freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho September 2003. DIC optics