Euplotes protozoan

[NikonUser]

These guys are common in my pond-water aquarium.
Although they almost certainly occur on all surfaces they are most readily seen cruising on the lower surface of the surface film.
This is a series of 6 focus levels from the ventral surface (top left of 1st plate) to dorsal surface (2nd plate, last image bottom right) showing:
#1-#3:the ventral 5 transverse cirri, these tendril-like structures are composed of fused cilia and are used for walking on surfaces.
#2-#3: well-developed AZM (adoral zone of membranelles)
#3-#6: lots of food vacuoles.
Olympus BHS DIC, 20x S Plan Apo, 1.25x intermediate lens, 2.5x NFK
relay lens.



NUM10124

[Mitch640]

I must have missed this one. He looks familiar, but I can't be sure if I have seen one of these or not. If it's the same one, I have a lot of them in one moss sample petri dish. I will have to look closer next time.

[john sp.]

Thanks to Mitch giving this one a bump, I get another opportunity to complement you on this series of photos, which so nicely give a more complete picture of this protozoa, from top to bottom.