Odd vermiform ciliate

Bruce Taylor · Post by **Bruce Taylor** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 6:12 pm

Since I had so much luck with the amoeboid I posted, perhaps I can get some information on an unusual ciliate.

It closely resembles Homalozoon vermiculare (a creature I see often and know fairly well), except for the apparent lack of trichites (nematodesmata) behind the oral aperture, the absence of a "parapharyngeal mass," and the overall appearance of the area around the oral aperture (the Spathidiid-like truncation, that curious raised "lip").

I would consider it a mutant or damaged Homalozoon, except for the vigor and competence with which it forages, grazing at organic detritus in a manner very much like that of a worm.

Any thoughts, speculations, or opinions would be welcome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQiekya_Kjo

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:13 am

Bruce,

I can not help with the ID; but the video is very nice, showing a lot of details of the specimen.

Rogelio

Bruce Taylor · Post by **Bruce Taylor** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:48 am

Thanks, Rogelio. It's pretty crude work, compared to what you can do.

Bruce Taylor · Post by **Bruce Taylor** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 3:26 pm

Well, I finally gave in and sent it to a Protist diversity expert...one of the top guys in the field, and a truly generous soul. I hate to add to his workload, but what could I do? I was curious.

His opinion: it's a damaged Dileptus.

It seems obvious, now. Lop off the "trunk," and you're left with the familiar "lippy" mouth and contractile vacuoles of a Dileptus. The back end may have sustained some damage, too (this fellow was in a tight fix when I first found him, looped around a clump of detritus).

So it has a "truncate anterior" because....the anterior has been truncated.

Of course, this reinforces a basic principle that I still forget, two years after taking up this hobby: if an organism seems to be unique, it is probably just something familiar that has gotten mangled, somehow. I did entertain the notion of "damage" (see above), but was too fixated on Homalozoon to see what was in front of my long (but inflexible) nose.

discomorphella · Post by **discomorphella** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 6:30 pm

Very amusing. I suppose that's why the keys often feature very singular features, so that if something gets lopped off you can still attempt an ID. Of course, if some crucial parts are missing from a creature the keys are not so useful...Its a great lesson though, from now on I will be on the lookout for damage when making an ID. I wonder if the ISOP has a "damaged" section of their ID key?

David

Bruce Taylor · Post by **Bruce Taylor** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 8:15 am

discomorphella wrote:Its a great lesson though, from now on I will be on the lookout for damage when making an ID.

I try to record monsters when I encounter them...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFbrbsAVYrQ

Another source of error is "familiar creatures seen from an odd angle" and "familiar creatures in an uncharacteristic shape," like this spherical stentor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hONdVeD9EJQ

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 9:52 am

Another source of error is "familiar creatures seen from an odd angle"

Personified by familiar Diatoms seen from a different side.