Small marine ciliated, relative of Tetrahymena?

[carlos.uruguay]

Tiny ciliated pear shaped.
It has a small mouth close to its anterior end.
It likes eating bacteria
Many vacuoles in the back.
Oblique light

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhW0B0M7m5s

Regards
carlos

[Bruce Taylor]

Hi, Carlos. It looks, superficially, like a Scuticociliate of some kind (but most have a caudal cilium, which I don't see). With the information available from video of this one specimen, it's hard to get below the subclass, Hypostomatia! Some Tetrahymena species appear in marine samples, but identification from one sighting is complicated by the fact that some have polymorphic life cycles. I would call this "small marine Hymenostome with distinct preoral suture," and wait to see more of them.

[carlos.uruguay]

Thank you very much Bruce!
carlos