Unusual Paramecium bursaria

Olympusman · Post by **Olympusman** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 9:47 am

This appears to be a Paramecium bursaria, but the algae it is hosting is not Zoochorella parasitica.

Bruce Taylor · Post by **Bruce Taylor** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 9:58 am

These look like ingested algae, not symbionts. We don't see enough detail to identify the critter (a view of the mouth would help). An aposymbiotic (colorless) P. bursaria is possible, but unlikely.

Olympusman · Post by **Olympusman** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 2:54 pm

Thanks, Bruce. Most likely explanation. I've never seen one of these before and my latest sample is very rich in P. bursaria.

Mike

Unusual Paramecium bursaria

Unusual Paramecium bursaria

Symbionts