Ephelota - a marine suctorian

Franz Neidl · Post by **Franz Neidl** » Mon Dec 20, 2010 2:29 pm

Yesterday I found in the Plankton Ephelota (E. gemmipara?), a marine suctorian.

"Suctorian ciliates are primarily sessile and not planktonic. Since, however, they can be attached to floating particles such as exuviae, and as symphoriont to the cuticle of, e.g., live crustaceaens, they occur in plankton samples quite often" (Larink & Westheide: Coastal Plankton. Photo Guide for European Seas, München, 2006, p. 42).

4 pictures:
1.) Obj. 10x, DIC, stack (7 p.)
2.) Obj. 20x, DIC, stack (14 p.)
3.) Obj. 40x, DIC, stack (8 p.)
4.) Obj. 20x Ph, stack (12 p.)

Franz

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

Ecki · Post by **Ecki** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:47 am

Franz,

nice shots! How do you prevent the suctorian from moving while you make the pictures for the stack?

Regards
Eckhard

Franz Neidl · Post by **Franz Neidl** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:07 am

Hello Eckhard!

Ephelota is an extremely slow protozoon. I did'nt have the necessity to slow it down.

Franz

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:21 am

Excellent images and an interesting animal. Your images are always first class.

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:29 pm

Franz,

Very nice images. Suctorians, by their name and the way they feed always seem a little like science fiction inventions to me. But they are very real in our micro world.

Funny how occasionally us microscopists tend to find the same thing, even when so far apart geographically. I found one of these in the last sample I took... no good pictures however.

Just curious, any idea of the water temperature this time of year where you sample? (Here I'm at about 43°F (6°C)).

Franz Neidl · Post by **Franz Neidl** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:37 pm

Charles,

the temperatur (in the surface water) was today in my region 15° Celsius.

Franz

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:51 pm

We only reach about 13° C (56 °F) in July and August.

I was a little low earlier (I ask the divers that always seem to be around what they measured on their dive, but that's not surface temperature). This time of year that wold be about 47°F (8°C).

René · Post by **René** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 11:26 am

Thanks Franz, this gives me the clue to one of my unknowns:

Mine is a bit hairy, and stuck on a chain of Hemiaulus diatoms. These ones are dead (lugols), and stained with Rose Bengal. Background colour is the one I get with my DIC system.

This is the normal color with my Cree led in brightfield:

Other fancy DIC colors no problem

Also found the following thingies in the same sample, don't know for sure but I expect them to be related:

Comments appreciated.

Good luck,

René

Franz Neidl · Post by **Franz Neidl** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:35 pm

Hello Renè,

your first 4 pictures are very interesting because they show details from Ephelota you can not see in my pictures.
I am convinced that this (in your picture) is Ephelota species. Ephelota gemmipara e. g. has "two types of tentacle in adult cells, i.e. six to ten suctorial tentacles and 30 - 50 prehensile tentacles; stalk transparent ecc. " p. 114 ( http://www.wuj.pl/UserFiles/File/acta%2 ... 13-124.pdf ). The suctorial tentacles are in the middle (as in your pictures).
I think the tentacles in your pictures are very long - under the influence of the fixation.
The last two pictures are looking like Tokophrya, but I am not sure about it.

Franz