Unidentified ciliate

Images made through a microscope. All subject types.

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gpmatthews
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Unidentified ciliate

Post by gpmatthews »

Image
Image

Zeiss Standard GFL Microscope
Ocular: Watson x8 Compensating
Objective: Leitz 40/0.7 ICT Fluotar
Substage: Leitz ICT
DIC
Sample from garden pond
Camera: Canon Powershot S50
Flash

Here are a selection of pictures of this ciliate. It was rather scoop shaped, or possibly a little like a grain of wheat, with a central groove, at one end of which was a large feature, probably the mouth. You can see its 3D shape in the bottom RH picture of the 1st set, and on the bottom pictures of the 2nd set. The bottom left picture of the 1st set shows the central depression in plan view. Its mode of swimming was very smooth and not too fast, with the occasional pirhouette. It appeared to be semi-rigid, deforming fairly easily, but always returning to the same shape. The surface was covered with rows of kineties.

Any ideas on identity?
Graham

Though we lean upon the same balustrade, the colours of the mountain are different.

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

I've seen this thing before too. I have looked all over but cannot find anything that closely resembles this ciliate. :? You have some good shots of it Graham, I was hoping the Protist Information Server would turn up something but it didn't, maybe I was looking in the wrong places. :-k

Thomas Ashcraft
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Re: Unidentified ciliate

Post by Thomas Ashcraft »

Just guessing, but maybe a variety of Lembadion?

http://starcentral.mbl.edu/microscope/p ... =Lembadion

Tom

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Could be Tom, but there are numerous cell inclusions not normally found in Lembadion or I would think so. There seems to be a postoral groove present in this organism that leads me to assume, maybe, that it is Frontonia leucas but still there are some organells missing there too. So I am still not sure. However you could be correct in your identification also. :D

Thomas Ashcraft
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Post by Thomas Ashcraft »

Ken Ramos wrote:Could be Tom, but there are numerous cell inclusions not normally found in Lembadion or I would think so. There seems to be a postoral groove present in this organism that leads me to assume, maybe, that it is Frontonia leucas but still there are some organells missing there too. So I am still not sure. However you could be correct in your identification also. :D
Ken, Graham,

Here's an image from the protist website of Lembadion.

http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Images ... badion.jpg

Maybe Graham's specimen could have a larger scoop for it to be Lembadion.

Not sure.

Tom

Thomas Ashcraft
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Post by Thomas Ashcraft »

I made a hasty webpage of a possible Lembadion ( not positive ) with a 20 second video shot at 1000x magnification bight field. I'm not sure if this is similar to Graham's specimens but at 16 seconds into the movie the protozoan does a couple of possible "pirhouettes."

http://www.heliotown.com/Possible_Lembadion.html

Tom
(Hoping to get better at identifying, using mostly D. J. Patterson's Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa and also Jahn's How to Know the Protozoa. )

Charles Krebs
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Post by Charles Krebs »

Don't know Graham.

Thomas... I am pretty certain yours (as referenced in you reply) is indeed a Lembadian.

Wim van Egmond
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Post by Wim van Egmond »

I am not sure if Graham's ciliate is a Lembadion. Lembadion has a large undulating membrane. I'll post one.

Wim

gpmatthews
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Post by gpmatthews »

I'm not sure about Lembadion- my own photos show it at around 50 microns total length making it rather small. It also has long caudal cilia, which this latest specimen lacks. Just have to keep looking...
Graham

Though we lean upon the same balustrade, the colours of the mountain are different.

bernhardinho
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Post by bernhardinho »

Hi friends,

well as far as size is concerned, I read in my books that L.lucens is small (50-70µm). But L.bullinum or L.magnum are larger (100-200µm).

Best wishes

Bernhard

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