Peritrichia

Mahide, Castilla y Len, Espaa

Grove, O, Galicia, Spain

Grove, O, Galicia, Spain

Vitoria, Euskadi, Espaa

Miranda do Douro Municipality, Braganca, Portugal

Vitoria, Basque Country, Spain

Pera, Faro, Portugal

Puerto Montt, Los Lagos, Chile

Puerto Montt, Los Lagos, Chile

Puerto Montt, Los Lagos, Chile

Puerto Montt, Los Lagos, Chile

Puerto Montt, Los Lagos, Chile

Surface detail of the peritrich ciliate, Pseudovorticella chlamydophora (Penard, 1922) Jankowski, 1976. Pseudovorticella is distinguished from Vorticella by silver staining which reveals a lattice-like silver line system in the former and circumferential lines without vertical connections in the latter. Pseudovorticella also has two contractile vacuoles. P. chlamydophora is distinguished by a distinct hyaline layer consisting of large cuboid pellicular blebs. The lattice-like pattern of these blebs is visible here. Feeds on bacteria. From freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. DIC.

Portrait of the peritrich ciliate, Pseudovorticella chlamydophora (Penard,1922) Jankowski, 1976. This genus is distinguished from the genus Vorticella by its grid-like silver line system. The transverse components of the silverline system of Vorticella species have no vertical connections. P. Chlamydophora has a thick clear pellicular layer composed of cuboid units, which give the cell surface a distinctive quilted appearance. The extended cell is an inverted bell shape connected at the aboral scopula to a contractile stalk. The cell is spherical when contracted. The stalk contracts as a coil rather than a zigzag (e.g. Haplocaulus). The peristomal disc is almost flush. The ciliature is reduced to two rows of peristomal cilia, which beat counterclockwise toward the funnel-shaped buccal cavity (seen here to the viewer’s left anteriorly). The roughly C-shaped macronucleus is oriented in the long axis (to the viewer’s left of midline here). A single contractile vacuole is seen adjacent to the buccal cavity. The otherwise identical P. vestita has two contractile vacuoles. Multiple yellowish food vacuoles are seen here. P. chlamydophora may be gregarious but does not form true colonies. Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho May 2004. DIC optics.

Portrait of the peritrich ciliate, Pseudovorticella chlamydophora (Penard,1922) Jankowski, 1976. This genus is distinguished from the genus Vorticella by its grid-like silver line system. The transverse components of the silverline system of Vorticella species have no vertical connections. P. Chlamydophora has a thick clear pellicular layer composed of cuboid units, which give the cell surface a distinctive quilted appearance (seen en face here). The extended cell is an inverted bell shape connected at the aboral scopula to a contractile stalk. The cell is spherical when contracted. The stalk contracts as a coil rather than a zigzag (e.g. Haplocaulus). The otherwise identical P. vestita has two contractile vacuoles. P. chlamydophora may be gregarious but does not form true colonies. Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.June 2005. DIC.

Surface detail of the peritrich ciliate, Pseudovorticella chlamydophora (Penard,1922) Jankowski, 1976. This genus is distinguished from the genus Vorticella by its grid-like silver line system. The transverse components of the silverline system of Vorticella species have no vertical connections. P. Chlamydophora has a thick clear pellicular layer composed of cuboid units, which give the cell surface a distinctive quilted appearance (seen en face here). The extended cell is an inverted bell shape connected at the aboral scopula to a contractile stalk. The cell is spherical when contracted. The stalk contracts as a coil rather than a zigzag (e.g. Haplocaulus). The otherwise identical P. vestita has two contractile vacuoles. P. chlamydophora may be gregarious but does not form true colonies. Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.June 2005. DIC.

Group portrait of Vorticella citrina (Muller 1786) a sessiline peritrich ciliate. Part of the Vorticella convallaria complex.This species is lemon yellow to light green in color. The body has typical inverted bell shape. There is a peristomal lip. Peristomal cilia wind counterclockwise to the cytostome. There are fine annular striations on the cell body. At the aboral pole is a scopula, the organelle that secretes the contractile stalk. The stalk is a contractile myonemes enclosed in by a sheath, which is ovoid in cross section. The stalk contracts in corkscrew fashion unlike the zigzag contraction of the stalk in the similar genus, Haplocaulus. The nucleus is short and horseshoe shaped. There is a single contractile vacuole. Vorticella is not colonial but may be gregarious. Primarily bactiverous. Collected from freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho October 2003. Brightfield optics.

Individual portrait of Vorticella citrina (Muller 1786) a sessiline peritrich ciliate. Part of the Vorticella convallaria complex. This species is lemon yellow to light green in color. The body has typical inverted bell shape. There is a peristomal lip. Peristomal cilia wind counterclockwise to the cytostome. There are fine annular striations on the cell body (seen here). At the aboral pole is a scopula, the organelle that secretes the contractile stalk. The stalk is a contractile myonemes enclosed in by a sheath, which is ovoid in cross section. The stalk contracts in corkscrew fashion unlike the zigzag contraction of the stalk in the similar genus, Haplocaulus. The nucleus is short and horseshoe shaped. There is a single contractile vacuole. Vorticella is not colonial but may be gregarious. Primarily bactiverous. Collected from freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho October 2003. DIC optics.

Hastatella. Portrait of uncommon colorless peritrich ciliate H. radians. It has two girdles of spines which distinguishes it from H. aesculacantha, which has four. Swimming interrupted by intermittent jumping movements. Bacterivorous. Pellicle has annular ridges. Wreath of cilia around anterior peristomal disc. These individuals have a blunt posterior scopula but sometimes this may appear more spinous. Macronucleus is roughly equatorial and C-shaped. horough description and illustrations of H. radians can be found in: Foissner,W.,Berger,H. and Schaumberg,J:Identification and Ecology of Limnetic Plankton Ciliates. Bavarian State Office for Water Management; Munich,1999.

Hastatella. Portrait of uncommon colorless peritrich ciliate H. radians. It has two girdles of spines which distinguishes it from H. aesculacantha, which has four. Swimming interrupted by intermittent jumping movements. Bacterivorous. Pellicle has annular ridges. Wreath of cilia around anterior peristomal disc. These individuals have a blunt posterior scopula but sometimes this may appear more spinous. Macronucleus is roughly equatorial and C-shaped. From freshwater aquaculture pond near Boise, Idaho.Thorough description and illustrations of H. radians can be found in: Foissner,W.,Berger,H. and Schaumberg,J:Identification and Ecology of Limnetic Plankton Ciliates. Bavarian State Office for Water Management; Munich,1999.