Euglenoid "skeleton"

Images made through a microscope. All subject types.

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Olympusman
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Euglenoid "skeleton"

Post by Olympusman »

Euglenoid skeleton.jpg
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

MarkSturtevant
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Re: Euglenoid "skeleton"

Post by MarkSturtevant »

Wow, that is beautiful. I know some protists have a kind of stiff "pellicle", and maybe that is what we are seeing here? But what are the sausage thingies inside? Maybe mitochondria?
Mark Sturtevant
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Re: Euglenoid "skeleton"

Post by Pau »

MarkSturtevant wrote:
Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:23 pm
But what are the sausage thingies inside? Maybe mitochondria?
No, mitochondria are much smaller (in most cases not visible with optical microscopy at least without staining).
I think they are paramylon bodies (polysaccharide reserves), very prominent in Euglenophyta

Mike, very interesting picture!
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Re: Euglenoid "skeleton"

Post by micro_pix »

Excellent!

Dave

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Re: Euglenoid "skeleton"

Post by Olympusman »

Thanks everyone. It was a very lucky find.

Mike
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

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Re: Euglenoid "skeleton"

Post by Bruce Taylor »

A very intriguing image. :) The "spike" on the tapered end of this object is not like anything you would find on a euglenoid. The bilobed structure at the top of it strongly resembles the pedal glands (cement glands, adhesive glands) of a rotifer's foot (as seen in Proales, for instance). I think we're looking at the cuticle of a dead rotifer.
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Re: Euglenoid "skeleton"

Post by Olympusman »

I doubt it is a rotifer. I have photographed many rotifers and euglenoids. The remains of the paramylon bodies and the patterns of the spiral pellicle strips indicate a Euglena to me. The pointed tipdoesn't appear to be a rotifer "foot."

Mike
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

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Re: Euglenoid "skeleton"

Post by Bruce Taylor »

Sorry for jumping in, Mike. :) I must be misreading that spikey posterior (woudn't be the first time! ;)). I ran it past an algologist, who agrees with you that it looks like a dead euglenoid.

ETA...and I've just had a communication from another expert, who also agrees with you! It looks like I really over-interpreted some debris in the tail. :D
It Came from the Pond (Blog): http://www.itcamefromthepond.com/

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