Ophrydium versatile

Tardigrade37 · Post by **Tardigrade37** » Sun May 23, 2010 7:21 pm

I recently got a chance to look at a culture I have had sitting around for several months. In a large enough jar, these sphagnum swamp samples can continue on for a long period of time, constantly revealing new creatures.

These peritrich ciliates, Ophrydium versatile, were numerous in this sample. They were very sensitive to pressure, so they had to be photographed in well slides, resulting in less-than-optimal conditions (allowed for too much freedom in movement). As soon as I can get the videos edited, I'll post a link to them.

From the images, it is obvious that these critters are loaded with symbiotic algae. Looking in to this further, they appear to belong to the genus Grasiella. In the second and third images, you can see the macronucleus as a twisted ribbon-shaped organelle.

20x/0.50 EC Plan-Neofluar DIC

63x/1.4 Plan-Apochromat DIC