Hi Graham, the ID of hypotriche ciliates is very hard without silver staining. However, your specimen looks similar to Tachysoma pellionellum but also to Holosticha pullaster. For differntiation of these species you need the position of the contractile vacuole. In case of Holosticha the CV is locate...

Hi Graham,

this strange ciliate is Gastronauta membranaceus with an unique shape of the mouth. Eugene Penard found Gastronauta in moss and Kahl in ponds as well as in shells of the genus Sphaerium. Therefore Kahl assumend that Gastronauta could be a commensale of Sphaerium shells.

Martin

Hi Charles,

extraordinary images! Especially Lacrymaria! Hard to top!

Martin

Hi Beatsy, Bruce draw my attention to your post. Unfortunately the shown specimen is deformed by the effect of the used lidocaine (contractile vacuole doesn't work any more). So the shape is not the native one. Furthermorer there is no feature visible what could confirm P. bursaria or P. chlorellige...

Hi Wim,

a very impressive video! A strange species! I like this kind of stuff!

Martin

Hi Wim, you are right, the most species of Beggiotoa forms long filaments. But these long filaments are consist of many separate cells. For the common species B. alba the dimension of a single cell is (about) 2.5 X 5 µm. Your species seems to occur in single cells and not as a chain of cells separat...

Hi Wim, I know this species from my ponds and I've identified it as Beggiotoa spec., a filamentous sulphur bacteria. Beggiotoa is able for a gliding movement (like some filamentous cyanobacteria). However, I couldn't find any hint in the literature or the internet for this "amoeboid" behaviour. Martin

Hi Charles,

let me help! The rotifer shown on image 4 + 5 is Notommata copeus and on image 6 + 7 is (very likely) Trichocerca longiseta.

Martin

Hi Carlos, Bruce anticipated me and I fully agree with him. The Maupas bodies are specific for cryptomonads. In contrast to "common crystals" in other protozoans the location of them ist fixed (near the gullet) and the number of them is fixed (two). The different shaped crystals in amoeba or ciliate...

Dear Carlos, the blueish colored "crystals" in your video and images are the so called Maupas bodies and your cryptomonad is very likely the colorless Chilomonas paramecium: http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpinkava.asu.edu%2Fstarcentral%2Fmicroscope%2Fmsr%2Frawdata%2Fviewable%2Fchilom...

Dear JC,

this is Phacodinium metchnicoffi!

The ID is basing on

Kahl, A. (1932): Urtiere oder Protozoa. I. Wimpertiere oder Ciliata (Infusoria). 3. Spirotricha. – Tierwelt Dtl., 25: 399–650.

Wish you a happy new year!

Martin

Hi Jacek,

Bruce is right. This is Psudovorticella because of the pattern of pellicular tubercles. On your last picture at hight magnification of the surface ornamentation you can see an "empty" row, what is typical for Psudovorticella fasciculuata.

Martin

Hi Marek,

your image shows the amoeba Mayorella penardi parasitized by the fungus Amoebophilus simplex. I'm quite sure. You can recognize the round anchor-cell of the fungus located in the amoeba, the so called haustorium.

Martin

Hi Charles, let me help regarding the ID. The first 2 images are showing Holophrya discolor and not Nassula. The basket of Nassula is located sub-apically and the contractile vacuole of Nassula is located in the mid-body. The last imgage shows Dexiotricha granulosa. The body of this ciliate is fille...

Hi Abel, your images are very beautiful with a high contrast and very nice balance of the bright and dark areas. Do you use a special software for image processing? Yes, this is likely Ophryoglena! But unfortunately you didn't catch the mouth opening of the ciliate. The shape of the mouth opening is...