Caenomorpha Perty 1852

Caenomorpha (seen-owe-morph-a) medusula. Body medusoid with 1 to 3 posterior spines. Without somatic cilia except for a band which lies near the membranelles. The membranelles form a long spiral that encircles the body and ends in posteriorly situated cytostome. A contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine. Symbiotic (methanogenic) bacteria occur in the cytoplasm. Move very quickly, with a jerky rotation. Between 1-4 macronuclei but always with only 1 micronucleus. Common in anoxic habitats. This specimen was collected in a bog near Konstanz, Germany. Slightly squashed specimen of Caenomorpha medusula. Focal plane on the rim of the bell-shaped anterior half of the body. Specimen measures 90 microns. Differential interference contrast.

Caenomorpha (seen-owe-morph-a) medusula. Body medusoid with 1 to 3 posterior spines. Without somatic cilia except for a band which lies near the membranelles. The membranelles form a long spiral that encircles the body and ends in posteriorly situated cytostome. A contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine. Symbiotic (methanogenic) bacteria occur in the cytoplasm. Move very quickly, with a jerky rotation. Between 1-4 macronuclei but always with only 1 micronucleus. Common in anoxic habitats. This specimen was collected in a bog near Konstanz, Germany. The two macronuclei are visible near the center of the body and the contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine. 90 microns long. Differential interference contrast.

Portrait of the armophorid ciliate, Caenomorpha medusula (Perty,1852). The colorless pellicle is rigid and twisted to the left. The anterior is broadly rounded and umbrella-like with a long posterior spine. Somatic ciliature is reduced to 2 rows of thigmotactic cirri on the left side of the anterior dome. The peristome spirals around the long axis, bordered anteriorly by a perizonal stripe of cilia and posteriorly by an adoral zone of membranelles. The cytostome situated at the posterior end of the peristome. There are 3 or 4 spherical macronuclei; 1 posterior contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine . The cytoplasm contains multiple endosymbiotic methanogenic bacteria. C. medusula is found in anaerobic habitats. C. medusula is distinguished fro other species in the genus by its shape and by its two anterior cirral files (other species have only one). Collected from sapropelic bottom sediments of a slow-flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho January 2005. DIC.

Portrait of the armophorid ciliate, Caenomorpha medusula (Perty,1852). The colorless pellicle is rigid and twisted to the left. The anterior is broadly rounded and umbrella-like with a long posterior spine. Somatic ciliature is reduced to 2 curved rows of thigmotactic cirri on the left side of the anterior dome (seen well here). The peristome spirals around the long axis, bordered anteriorly by a perizonal stripe of cilia and posteriorly by an adoral zone of membranelles. The cytostome situated at the posterior end of the peristome. There are 3 or 4 spherical macronuclei; 1 posterior contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine . The cytoplasm contains multiple endosymbiotic methanogenic bacteria. C. medusula is found in anaerobic habitats. C. medusula is distinguished fro other species in the genus by its shape and by its two anterior cirral files (other species have only one). Collected from sapropelic bottom sediments of a slow-flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho January 2005.Stained by the silver carbonate technic (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27,313-330;1991) Brightfield.

Phase contrast micrograph of living cell.

Caenomorpha (seen-owe-morph-a) sapropelica. Body medusoid with 1 to 3 posterior spines. Without somatic cilia except for a band which lies near the membranelles. The membranelles form a long spiral that encircles the body and ends in posteriorly situated cytostome. A contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine. Symbiotic (methanogenic) bacteria occur in the cytoplasm. Move very quickly, with a jerky rotation. Between 1-4 macronuclei but always with only 1 micronucleus. Common in anoxic habitats. This specimen was collected in a bog near Konstanz, Germany. 135 microns long. Differential interference contrast.

Caenomorpha (seen-owe-morph-a) sapropelica. Body medusoid with 1 to 3 posterior spines. Without somatic cilia except for a band which lies near the membranelles. The membranelles form a long spiral that encircles the body and ends in posteriorly situated cytostome. A contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine. Symbiotic (methanogenic) bacteria occur in the cytoplasm. Move very quickly, with a jerky rotation. Between 1-4 macronuclei but always with only 1 micronucleus. Common in anoxic habitats. This slightly squashed specimen collected in a bog near Konstanz, Germany; measuring 135 microns. Differential interference contrast.

Portrait of polysaprobic heterotrich ciliate Caenomorpha sapropelica (Kahl, 1927). The rigid pellicle is colorless. The anterior is bluntly cone shaped and the posterior is drawn out as a long spine. Aggregate of dense brown granules anteriorly. Somatic ciliature is reduced to a single file of thigmotactic cirri on the left side of the anterior dome. The peristome spirals around the body terminating posteriorly at the cytostome.A perizonal stripe of cilia borders the peristome anteriorly. There is an adoral zone of membranelles on the posterior margin of the peristome. Posterior contractile vacuole. Multiple macronuclei are not seen in these images. From standing freshwater pond with decaying leaves near Boise, Idaho. Oblique illumination.

Ventral Infraciliature of the armophorid ciliate Caenomorpha simplex (Jankowski,1964). Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.

Infraciliature of the armophorid ciliate Caenomorpha simplex (Jankowski,1964). The light blue arrowhead indicates the single anterior cirral file. The green, dark blue and yellow arrowheads indicate the undulating membrane, adoral zone of membranelles and perizonal ciliary stripe respectively. The red arrowhead indicates one of the densely stained methanogenic bacteria in the cytoplasm.Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.

Dorsal infraciliature of the armophorid ciliate Caenomorpha simplex (Jankowski,1964). Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield. 

Caenomorpha simplex (Jankowski,1964).Phase contrast.

Sampling date 7/2018.Place name: Pond Birkensee near Rödelsee (Lower Franconia, Germany)  Latitude: 49.71819841     Longitude: 10.27807474Microscope Zeiss Axioplan, camera Canon DSLR.Copyright Dr. Rainer Meisch, Würzburg, Germany.© Wolfgang Bettighofer,images under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA).For permission to use of (high resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.For further information about the image, please click here: Link to protisten.de page

Sampling date 07/2018.Two images.Please click on < or > on the image edges or on the dots at the bottom edge of the images to browse through the slides!Place name: Pond Birkensee near Rödelsee (Lower Franconia, Germany)  Latitude: 49.71819841     Longitude: 10.27807474Microscope Zeiss Axioplan, camera Canon DSLR.Copyright Dr. Rainer Meisch, Würzburg, Germany.© Wolfgang Bettighofer,images under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA).For permission to use of (high resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.For further information about the image, please click here: Link to protisten.de page

Sampling date 07/2018.Two images.Please click on < or > on the image edges or on the dots at the bottom edge of the images to browse through the slides!Place name: Pond Birkensee near Rödelsee (Lower Franconia, Germany)  Latitude: 49.71819841     Longitude: 10.27807474Microscope Zeiss Axioplan, camera Canon DSLR.Copyright Dr. Rainer Meisch, Würzburg, Germany.© Wolfgang Bettighofer,images under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA).For permission to use of (high resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.For further information about the image, please click here: Link to protisten.de page