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Phase contrast micrograph of the tetrahymenine ciliate. The anterior end of the cell is slightly twisted, the mouth being located at the base of this anterior region.
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Right dorsolateral surface view of the hymenostome ciliate, Frontonia angusta (Kahl, 1931). Very similar in overall apppearance to F. acuminata (Ehrenberg,1833)Buetschli,1889. F. angusta lacks the anterior apical collection of pigmented granules seen in F. acuminata and its contractile vacuole has 3-4 excretory pores (4 in this case).The approximately 6 µm long extrusomes are clearly visible. Ingested diatoms and green algae are present. Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.DIC.
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Calyptotricha (kah-lip-toe-trike-a) pleuronemoides is an ovoid to pyriform ciliate. The ciliate forms a transparent lorica. The lorica is tube-like and has apertures at both ends. The middle the tube can have parallel sides or a central bulbous region in which the ciliate is housed. The undulating membrane of the oral aperture stretches down the right side of the body to form a pouch in the posterior body half. Extrusomes are present. There is a conspicuous caudal cilium. Contractile vacuole in posterior body region. The macronucleus is spherical with attached micronuclei. Several endosymbiotic algae are visible and the conspicuous caudal cilium. Ciliate measuring 28 microns, lorica 64 microns. This specimen was collected in freshwater ponds near Konstanz, Germany. Differencial interference contrast.
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Portrait (ventral surface) of the pleuronematine scuticociliate, Cristigera phoenix (Penard, 1922). Collected from a freshwater aquaculture pond near Boise, Idaho November 2004. DIC.
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Portrait (left anterolateral view) of the hymenostome ciliate Colpidium kleini (Foissner, 1969). Very similar in overall appearance to C. colpoda although usually more slender and with fewer somatic kineties. The cytostome is in the anterior 1/4 of the cell. There is a curved paraoral membrane along the convex right margin of the cytostome. The left margin is slightly concave. There are three adoral membranelles. There are 32 to 44 somatic kineties. The kineties to the right and left of the oral aperture meet at a curved preoral suture. There is an anterior apical area bare of cilia. There are rows of inconspicuous mucocysts between the somatic kineties. The ellipsoid macronucleus and adjacent micronucleus are centrally located. The single contractile vacuole is located in the midbody with a single excretory pore on the right surface. The feature most clearly distinguishing Colpidium kleini from C. coploda is the silverline system (as demonstrated by silver nitrate staining). Collected from an organically enriched freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. DIC.
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Portrait (dorsal surface) of the cinetochilid scuticociliate ciliate, Sathrophilus muscorum (Kahl, 1931) Corliss, 1960. The ellipsoid cell is dorsoventrally flattened. The left side is slightly convex and the right side more straightened. The approximately triangular cytostome is at the junction of the first and middle 1/3. There are three obliquely oriented adoral membranelles. M1 is longest, M2 intermediate in length and M3 quite short. There is a short, slightly curved paraoral membrane bordering the right margin of the peristome. The oral apparatus is quite similar to that of Cinetochilum margaritaceum. The central spherical macronucleus is usually single but may be in as many as four parts. There are 12-17 longitudinal somatic kineties that run between prominent pellicular ridges. There is a single long caudal cilium that inserts on the dorsal surface (seen here). There is a short preoral and longer postoral suture. The slit-like cytoproct is in the postoral suture. There are inconspicuous wedge shaped peripheral extrusomes. Its ellipsoid shape and pellicular characteristics differentiate S. muscorum from the similar Cinetochilum and Platynematum both of which have more truncate notched posterior margins. Collected from sapropelic bottom sediments of a freshwater aquaculture tub near Boise, Idaho. DIC.
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Almind Sø, Jylland, Danmark
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Lembus infusionum.
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Vorticella marina.
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Lembus pusillus.
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Cothurnia imberbis.
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Paramecium aurelia and its Parasites.
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Anterior is to the bottom of the image, there are two mouth structures - the original near the anterior end and the mouth of the daughter cell developing behind where the division furrow will form.
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Ventral infraciliature of the hymenostome ciliate, Frontonia angusta (Kahl, 1931). Very similar in overall apppearance to F. acuminata (Ehrenberg,1833)Buetschli,1889. F. angusta lacks the anterior apical collection of pigmented granules seen in F. acuminata and its contractile vacuole has 3-4 excretory pores (not visible here).The prominent preoral and postoral sutures are visible. The 3 curved adoral membranelles are seen on the viewer's right of the oral apparatus. The vestibular ciliary rows are seen to the viewer's left of the the oral apparatus.The postoral ciliary field is seen abutting the posterior margin of the peristome to the viewer's right of the postoral suture.Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.Brightfield.
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Calyptotricha (kah-lip-toe-trike-a) pleuronemoides is an ovoid to pyriform ciliate. The ciliate forms a transparent lorica. The lorica is tube-like and has apertures at both ends. The middle the tube can have parallel sides or a central bulbous region in which the ciliate is housed. The undulating membrane of the oral aperture stretches down the right side of the body to form a pouch in the posterior body half. Extrusomes are present. There is a conspicuous caudal cilium. Contractile vacuole in posterior body region. The macronucleus is spherical with attached micronuclei. This image taken shortly after cell division when there are two specimens in the lorica. Lorica measuring 68 microns. This specimen was collected in freshwater ponds near Konstanz, Germany. Differential interference contrast.
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Portrait (ventral surface) of the pleuronematine scuticociliate, Cristigera phoenix (Penard, 1922). Collected from a freshwater aquaculture pond near Boise, Idaho November 2004. DIC.
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Ventral infraciliature of the hymenostome ciliate Colpidium kleini (Foissner, 1969). C. kleini is very similar in overall appearance to C. colpoda although usually more slender and with fewer somatic kineties. The cytostome is in the anterior 1/4 of the cell. There is a curved paraoral membrane along the convex right margin of the cytostome. The left margin is slightly concave. There are three adoral membranelles. There are 32 to 44 somatic kineties. The kineties to the right and left of the oral aperture meet at a curved preoral suture. The right somatic kineties bend leftward at the level of the cytostome.There is an anterior apical area bare of cilia. There are rows of inconspicuous mucocysts between the somatic kineties. The ellipsoid macronucleus and adjacent micronucleus are centrally located. The single contractile vacuole is located in the midbody with a single excretory pore on the right surface. The feature most clearly distinguishing Colpidium kleini from C. coploda is the silverline system (as demonstrated by silver nitrate staining).Stained by the silver carbonate technic (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27,313-330;1991). Collected from an organically enriched freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. Brightfield.
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Portrait (ventral surface) of the cinetochilid scuticociliate ciliate, Sathrophilus muscorum (Kahl, 1931) Corliss, 1960. The ellipsoid cell is dorsoventrally flattened. The left side is slightly convex and the right side more straightened. The approximately triangular cytostome is at the junction of the first and middle 1/3. There are three obliquely oriented adoral membranelles. M1 is longest, M2 intermediate in length and M3 quite short. There is a short, slightly curved paraoral membrane bordering the right margin of the peristome. The oral apparatus is quite similar to that of Cinetochilum margaritaceum. The central spherical macronucleus is usually single but may be in as many as four parts. There are 12-17 longitudinal somatic kineties that run between prominent pellicular ridges. There is a single long caudal cilium that inserts on the dorsal surface. There is a short preoral and longer postoral suture. The slit-like cytoproct is in the postoral suture. There are inconspicuous wedge shaped peripheral extrusomes. Its ellipsoid shape and pellicular characteristics differentiate S. muscorum from the similar Cinetochilum and Platynematum both of which have more truncate notched posterior margins. Collected from sapropelic bottom sediments of a freshwater aquaculture tub near Boise, Idaho. DIC.
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Almind Sø, Jylland, Danmark