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Alfaro, La Rioja, Spain
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Portrait (ventral surface) of the chilodonellid ciliate Pseudochilodonopsis piscatoris (Blochmann, 1895) Foissner, 1979. The cell is drawn out to the left in a distinct pointed preoral beak. The posterior is broadly rounded. The cell is strongly dorsoventrally compressed. The dorsum is slightly domed and the ventral surface flat. The ciliature is reduced to the ventral surface except for a distinctive dorsal brush which is set back from the anterior edge of the cell and arches across the nearly its entire width. The ventral ciliature consists of right (5) and left (6) kineties separated by a wide bare postoral area. There are two circumoral kineties and a fragmented preoral kinety. The anterior ends of the left somatic kineties abut the transversely oriented fragments of the preoral kinety. These fragments ascend stair-step fashion to the tip of the beak. The cytostome, situated in the anterior 1/4 of the cell, is supported by nematodesmata forming a cyrtos. There are two contractile vacuoles. The nucleus is heteromerous. The genus Pseudochilodonopsis is distinguished from members of the similar genus, Chilodonella, by the fragmented preoral kinety and the long arched dorsal brush. Both features are difficult to appreciate without DIC optics or silver impregnation techniques. P. piscatoris feeds on green algae and diatoms. It is usually found in the surface film of samples collected from a freshwater pond near Boise,Idaho. February 2005. DIC.
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Portrait (dorsal surface) of the chilodonellid ciliate Pseudochilodonopsis piscatoris (Blochmann, 1895) Foissner, 1979. The cell is drawn out to the left in a distinct pointed preoral beak. The posterior is broadly rounded. The cell is strongly dorsoventrally compressed. The dorsum is slightly domed and the ventral surface flat. The ciliature is reduced to the ventral surface except for a distinctive dorsal brush which is set back from the anterior edge of the cell and arches across the nearly its entire width(seen in this image). The ventral ciliature consists of right (5) and left (6) kineties separated by a wide bare postoral area. There are two circumoral kineties and a fragmented preoral kinety. The anterior ends of the left somatic kineties abut the transversely oriented fragments of the preoral kinety. These fragments ascend stair-step fashion to the tip of the beak. The cytostome, situated in the anterior 1/4 of the cell, is supported by nematodesmata forming a cyrtos. There are two contractile vacuoles. The nucleus is heteromerous. The genus Pseudochilodonopsis is distinguished from members of the similar genus, Chilodonella, by the fragmented preoral kinety and the long arched dorsal brush (visible here between arrows). Both features are difficult to appreciate without DIC optics or silver impregnation techniques. P. piscatoris feeds on green algae and diatoms. It is usually found in the surface film of samples Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho February 2005. DIC.
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Infraciliature (ventral surface) of the chilodonellid ciliate Pseudochilodonopsis piscatoris (Blochmann, 1895) Foissner, 1979. The cell is drawn out to the left in a distinct pointed preoral beak. The posterior is broadly rounded. The cell is strongly dorsoventrally compressed. The dorsum is slightly domed and the ventral surface flat. The ciliature is reduced to the ventral surface except for a distinctive dorsal brush which is set back from the anterior edge of the cell and arches across the nearly its entire width. The ventral ciliature consists of right (5) and left (6) kineties separated by a wide bare postoral area. There are two circumoral kineties and a fragmented preoral kinety. The anterior ends of the left somatic kineties abut the transversely oriented fragments of the preoral kinety. These fragments ascend stair-step fashion to the tip of the beak. The cytostome, situated in the anterior 1/4 of the cell, is supported by nematodesmata forming a cyrtos. There are two contractile vacuoles. The nucleus is heteromerous. The genus Pseudochilodonopsis is distinguished from members of the similar genus, Chilodonella, by the fragmented preoral kinety and the long arched dorsal brush. Both features are difficult to appreciate without DIC optics or silver impregnation techniques. P. piscatoris feeds on green algae and diatoms. It is usually found in the surface film of samples Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho February 2005.Stained by the silver carbonate technic (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27,313-330;1991). Brightfield.
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Infraciliature (ventral surface) of the chilodonellid ciliate Pseudochilodonopsis piscatoris (Blochmann, 1895) Foissner, 1979 in early division. Stomatogenesis is of the telokinetal type in which the oral apparatus of the posterior daughter cell (opisthe) derives from fragments of several left sided kineties. As can be seen here, stomatogenesis precedes cytokinesis. Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho February 2005.Stained by the silver carbonate technic (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27,313-330;1991). Brightfield.
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Ventral view of the chillodonellid ciliate, Pseudochilodonopsis polyvacuolata (Foissner and Didier, 1981). The cell is ovoid. The anterior end is drawn to the left as a bluntly pointed rostrum. The ventral surface is flat and the central dorsal surface is arched. There is a flattened narrow circumferential margin. Ciliature is restricted to the ventral surface except for a short dorsal brush. The 7 left somatic kineties are separated from 5 right somatic kineties by an unciliated postoral bare area. The lateral-most 5 left somatic kineties terminate at a right angle to short separate preoral kineties arranged in stair-step fashion from the cytostome to the tip of the rostrum. The medial two left somatic kineties are shorter. There are two short circumoral kineties. The cyrtos opens ventrally. The heteromerous macronucleus is approximately central with one adherent ovoid micronucleus. There are 7-10 contractile vacuoles each with a single ventral excretory pore. The similar species, P. fluviatilis is smaller and has only two contractile vacuoles.Collected from a freshwater stream with abundant pennate diatoms near Boise, Idaho;43° 34' 41.92" N 116° 08' 50.49" W. March 2006. DIC.
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Ventral view of the chillodonellid ciliate, Pseudochilodonopsis polyvacuolata (Foissner and Didier, 1981). The cell is ovoid. The anterior end is drawn to the left as a bluntly pointed rostrum. The ventral surface is flat and the central dorsal surface is arched. There is a flattened narrow circumferential margin. Ciliature is restricted to the ventral surface except for a short dorsal brush. The 7 left somatic kineties are separated from 5 right somatic kineties by an unciliated postoral bare area. The lateral-most 5 left somatic kineties terminate at a right angle to short separate preoral kineties arranged in stair-step fashion from the cytostome to the tip of the rostrum. The medial two left somatic kineties are shorter. There are two short circumoral kineties. The cyrtos opens ventrally. The heteromerous macronucleus is approximately central with one adherent ovoid micronucleus. There are 7-10 contractile vacuoles each with a single ventral excretory pore. Collected from a freshwater stream with abundant pennate diatoms near Boise, Idaho;43° 34' 41.92" N 116° 08' 50.49" W. March 2006. DIC.
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Ventral view of the chillodonellid ciliate, Pseudochilodonopsis polyvacuolata (Foissner and Didier, 1981). The cell is ovoid. The anterior end is drawn to the left as a bluntly pointed rostrum. The ventral surface is flat and the central dorsal surface is arched. There is a flattened narrow circumferential margin. Ciliature is restricted to the ventral surface except for a short dorsal brush. The 7 left somatic kineties are separated from 5 right somatic kineties by an unciliated postoral bare area. The lateral-most 5 left somatic kineties terminate at a right angle to short separate preoral kineties arranged in stair-step fashion from the cytostome to the tip of the rostrum. The medial two left somatic kineties are shorter. There are two short circumoral kineties. The cyrtos opens ventrally. The heteromerous macronucleus is approximately central with one adherent ovoid micronucleus. There are 7-10 contractile vacuoles each with a single ventral excretory pore. Collected from a freshwater stream with abundant pennate diatoms near Boise, Idaho;43° 34' 41.92" N 116° 08' 50.49" W. March 2006. DIC.
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Ventral view of the chillodonellid ciliate, Pseudochilodonopsis polyvacuolata (Foissner and Didier, 1981). The cell is ovoid. The anterior end is drawn to the left as a bluntly pointed rostrum. The ventral surface is flat and the central dorsal surface is arched. There is a flattened narrow circumferential margin. Ciliature is restricted to the ventral surface except for a short dorsal brush. The 7 left somatic kineties are separated from 5 right somatic kineties by an unciliated postoral bare area. The lateral-most 5 left somatic kineties terminate at a right angle to short separate preoral kineties arranged in stair-step fashion from the cytostome to the tip of the rostrum. The medial two left somatic kineties are shorter. There are two short circumoral kineties. The cyrtos opens ventrally. The heteromerous macronucleus is approximately central with one adherent ovoid micronucleus. There are 7-10 contractile vacuoles each with a single ventral excretory pore (arrows). Collected from a freshwater stream with abundant pennate diatoms near Boise, Idaho;43° 34' 41.92" N 116° 08' 50.49" W. March 2006. DIC.
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Ventral view of the chillodonellid ciliate, Pseudochilodonopsis polyvacuolata (Foissner and Didier, 1981). The cell is ovoid. The anterior end is drawn to the left as a bluntly pointed rostrum. The ventral surface is flat and the central dorsal surface is arched. There is a flattened narrow circumferential margin. Ciliature is restricted to the ventral surface except for a short dorsal brush. The 7 left somatic kineties are separated from 5 right somatic kineties by an unciliated postoral bare area. The lateral-most 5 left somatic kineties terminate at a right angle to short separate preoral kineties arranged in stair-step fashion from the cytostome to the tip of the rostrum. The medial two left somatic kineties are shorter. There are two short circumoral kineties. The cyrtos opens ventrally. The heteromerous macronucleus is approximately central with one adherent ovoid micronucleus. There are 7-10 contractile vacuoles each with a single ventral excretory pore. Collected from a freshwater stream with abundant pennate diatoms near Boise, Idaho;43° 34' 41.92" N 116° 08' 50.49" W. March 2006. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.
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Ventral view of the chillodonellid ciliate, Pseudochilodonopsis polyvacuolata (Foissner and Didier, 1981). The cell is ovoid. The anterior end is drawn to the left as a bluntly pointed rostrum. The ventral surface is flat and the central dorsal surface is arched. There is a flattened narrow circumferential margin. Ciliature is restricted to the ventral surface except for a short dorsal brush. The 7 left somatic kineties are separated from 5 right somatic kineties by an unciliated postoral bare area. The lateral-most 5 left somatic kineties terminate at a right angle to short separate preoral kineties arranged in stair-step fashion from the cytostome to the tip of the rostrum (arrows). The medial two left somatic kineties are shorter. There are two short circumoral kineties. The cyrtos opens ventrally. The heteromerous macronucleus is approximately central with one adherent ovoid micronucleus. There are 7-10 contractile vacuoles each with a single ventral excretory pore. Collected from a freshwater stream with abundant pennate diatoms near Boise, Idaho;43° 34' 41.92" N 116° 08' 50.49" W. March 2006. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.
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Dorsal view of the chillodonellid ciliate, Pseudochilodonopsis polyvacuolata (Foissner and Didier, 1981). The cell is ovoid. The anterior end is drawn to the left as a bluntly pointed rostrum. The ventral surface is flat and the central dorsal surface is arched. There is a flattened narrow circumferential margin. Ciliature is restricted to the ventral surface except for a short anterior dorsal brush. (arrow). The 7 left somatic kineties are separated from 5 right somatic kineties by an unciliated postoral bare area. The lateral-most 5 left somatic kineties terminate at a right angle to short separate preoral kineties arranged in stair-step fashion from the cytostome to the tip of the rostrum. The medial two left somatic kineties are shorter. There are two short circumoral kineties. The cyrtos opens ventrally. The heteromerous macronucleus is approximately central with one adherent ovoid micronucleus. There are 7-10 contractile vacuoles each with a single ventral excretory pore. Collected from a freshwater stream with abundant pennate diatoms near Boise, Idaho;43° 34' 41.92" N 116° 08' 50.49" W. March 2006. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.