portrait

Description:

Coleps (coal-eps) - the pirranha or hyaena of the ciliate world. Eats detritus but definitely has a penchant for bits of animals - and is not squeamish about attacking living but damaged organisms. Shed exoskeletons of crustacea are attacked, the Coleps then gnaws on the tissue (and is thus referred to as histophagous). Distinguished by having calcareous plates around the outside of the body. This is a recent product of cell division, it is derived from the posterior half of the parent cell - because the back half of the cell contains thickened cortical plates, whereas the front part has weakly developed plates. Differential interference contrast.