Dileptus meeting

Gerd · Post by **Gerd** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:02 am

a "nest" with several Dileptus individuals under the cover slide.
These are very dynamic moving ciliates, a single shot can't show the
movements.
This video clip (DIVX, 4MB) can :

http://home.arcor.de/gerd-a.guenther/video/dileptus.avi

Thanks,
Gerd

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:34 am

Nice photo Gerd and a fascinating video too. In fact I watched the video several times - there's a lot to see - contractile vacuoles everywhere and the rapidly moving cilia show up particulary well.

I have only ever seen photos of single individuals before and I wondered if this collective behaviour is normal for Dileptus?

Bruce

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 4:44 pm

That is one amazing video Gerd and a very strange creature. You say "a nest" , do you know why they are all congregating in that same area?

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:18 pm

Gerd... neat shot, and the video clip is great to watch. Never seen that many in action in the same place before.

Gerd · Post by **Gerd** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 1:50 pm

Thanks Bruce, Doug and Charles,
this collective behaviour is not normal for Dileptus. I think this was a Bacteria mass reproduction
inside a dead water flea, which caused so many dileptus individuals to move into this Cockaigne !
After some days i found empty water flea shells at this place of the specimen.
Gerd