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Prodiscophrya (pro-disc-owe-fry-a) is a suctorian (ciliate without cilia in the trophic stage but with multiple elongated mouths = arms). Arms expanded at apex where they are filled with extrusomes which are used in food capture. Arms not arranged in groups, usually stalked but this cell was observed without a stalk. Phase contrast.
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Portrait of the discophryid suctorian, Periacineta buckei (Kent,1882).This periphytonic species has a laterally compressed tectinous lorica which is snug against the cell body.The truncate anterior end of the cell protrudes from the slit-like aperture of the lorica.The lorica tapers posteriorly to a narrow attachment with the substarte. A true stalk is absent. Capitate tentacles occur in two fasicles on either side of the anterior end. There are three contractile vacuoles at the anterior end (seen here).The macronucleus is ellipsoid.Swarmers are elongate and flattened.Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.DIC.
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Scale bar indicates 25 µm. Sample from a pond situated in the vicinity of Lake Constance (Bodensee, Southern Germany). The image was built up using several photomicrographic frames with manual stacking technique. Images were taken using Zeiss Universal with Olympus C7070 CCD camera.
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This image shows a recently settled cell. There are tentacles which are swollen at the apices. The surface of the cell has a few cilia - remaining from the swimming larva that settled to produce this feeding form. Phase contrast microscopy.
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Portrait of the discophryid suctorian, Periacineta buckei (Kent,1882).This periphytonic species has a laterally compressed tectinous lorica which is snug against the cell body.The truncate anterior end of the cell protrudes from the slit-like aperture of the lorica.The lorica tapers posteriorly to a narrow attachment with the substarte. A true stalk is absent. Capitate tentacles occur in two fasicles on either side of the anterior end. There are three contractile vacuoles at the anterior end.The macronucleus is ellipsoid.Swarmers are elongate and flattened.Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.DIC.
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Ciliated larval stage of the suctor. Phase contrast micrograph of living cell.
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Scale bar indicates 50 µm. Sample from a pond situated in the vicinity of Lake Constance (Bodensee, Southern Germany). The image was built up using several photomicrographic frames with manual stacking technique. Images were taken using Zeiss Universal with Olympus C7070 CCD camera.
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Heliophrya (heal-ee-owe-fry-a) is a stalkless suctorian, the body is a flattened disc to square shape, adpressed to the substrate, with contractile arms emerging in a number (usually 4) bundles. Food, mostly ciliates, is caught on the ends of the arms. The tips of the arms are swollen with extrusomes etc. which are used in food capture. Phase contrast.
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Trophic suctorian cell, each tentacle or arm is a mouth, the expanded termini contain extrusomes that will grab hold of prey - mostly other ciliates.
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Heliophrya (heal-ee-owe-fry-a) is a stalkless suctorian, the body is a flattened disc to square shape, adpressed to the substrate, with contractile arms emerging in a number (usually 4) bundles. This image shows the contracting arms with the central dark component being the microtubules of the mouth (each arm is a mouth). Phase contrast.
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Heliophrya (heal-ee-owe-fry-a) is a stalkless suctorian, the body is a flattened disc to square shape, adpressed to the substrate, with contractile arms emerging in a number (usually 4) bundles. Food, mostly ciliates, is caught on the ends of the arms. The tips of the arms are swollen with extrusomes etc. which are used in food capture. Phase contrast.
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Heliophrya (heal-ee-owe-fry-a) is a stalkless suctorian, the body is a flattened disc to square shape, adpressed to the substrate, with contractile arms emerging in a number (usually 4) bundles. As can be seen here, food is caught on the ends of the arms, the arms act as mouths and the cytoplasm of the living prey (the prey is Paramecium and the contractile vacuoles are still active) is sucked down the arms and into the suctorian. Phase contrast.