Monodinium balbiani (killer ciliate)

Protos · Post by **Protos** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 2:44 am

I have found this amazing ciliate in a pond; I here present live pictures and a silver impregnation version. Please excuse the quality of the pictures as I still have to learn how to use a DSLR.
This ciliate is a nasty killer; I will soon put some Paramecium in its presence and watch...
Monodinium balbiani (FABRE_DOMERGUE,1888)

It is close to Didinium altogh it has only one cilia row. It swims very fast and usually hunt other ciliates.

Here are 2 Silver impregnation pictures please not the well stained Extrusomes and especially the "charged weapon", alias the mouth. The macronucleus is also quite massive

carlos.uruguay · Post by **carlos.uruguay** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 7:34 am

Great images of a curious ciliate

Protos · Post by **Protos** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:31 am

carlos.uruguay wrote:Great images of a curious ciliate

Thank you Carlos !(sorry for the dead body

)

carlos.uruguay · Post by **carlos.uruguay** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:46 am

Protos wrote:
carlos.uruguay wrote:Great images of a curious ciliate
Thank you Carlos !(sorry for the dead body )

Ja ja ja No problem!
now I don't speak more of things forbidden

Bruce Taylor · Post by **Bruce Taylor** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 6:06 am

Cool creature! I've never found one.

Protos · Post by **Protos** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 7:10 am

Bruce Taylor wrote:Cool creature! I've never found one.

Yes it's nice
I must say that I rarely find it as well. Much to my surprise I had TONs of them
but that was on Sunday I haven't checked since
I will try to feed them with Paramecium and maybe shoot it

Protos · Post by **Protos** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 7:13 am

By the way Here comes Monodinium and Frontonia together in a predator-prey version

Bruce Taylor · Post by **Bruce Taylor** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 8:04 am