Testate amoeba. What is happening here?

[Charles Krebs]

While looking over a sample with the stereo scope, I thought that I had come upon a testate amoeba at an early stage of division. I transferred it to a slide and took some photographs. However after rather lengthy observation there was no change past this "stage", so now I am uncertain as to what is seen here. Any thoughts?

BTW...Ferry has a great sequence of lesquereusia division here:
http://arcella.nl/division-lesquereusia

[sebba28]

No words.
Excellent image.

[Pau]

[arturoag75]

Charlie this is incredible..WOW!
Arturo

[Jacek]

Charles revelation, as usual, great shot

[Mitch640]

Beautiful image and a great mystery. Maybe he got hold of some acrylic chips.

[RogelioMoreno]

Amazing!

Rogelio

[René]

Hi Charlie,

Great shot(s)!! The black background ads a lot to the plasticity.

Now, I still think this is simply division. The initial lorica is cladded by things the amoeba comes across in his surroundings. If there's a clean(ish) slide, there's nothing to add. The other thing on my mind is that whatever I observe, even in a 2ml sedimentation chamber, never behaves as in the wild. I think your amoeba simply stopped moving, waiting for better times or maybe even dying. What's Ferry's opinion on this?? He's the expert.

Best wishes, René

[Ferry]

Charles, just stunning this kind of view. We all know how difficult it is to take such sharp images for stacking. You ever make the impossible dream true.
For what happened, I agree with René that the amoeba is dying. I have seen this phenomenon more often. BTW, I think it is Difflugia urceolata.

Cheers,
Ferry