Hi folks,
Ok this is where my inexperience shows. I think (but don't know) that the larger creature is a flatworm. I spent a lot of time on the web trying to track it down without finding a exact match - flatworm is the closest I got to it. I cannot see any evidence of eyes even in the full size 3264x2448 images and even though I watched it for at least 30 minutes after I had taken these photos - I still couldn't spot any eyes.
*UPDATE* Bernhard has identified the larger creature as the ciliate Loxophyllum meleagris.
The photos were taken into a water droplet without a coverslip. I was just checking to see if there was anything interesting in the droplet before putting on the coverslip when I spotted this creature making a move on the ciliate - so I had no time to do anything other than take the photos. I took about 30 in this series just seconds apart - no time to use the 12 second self-timer (my usual method).
There was a very thin film on the surface of the dome-shaped droplet (which is why the field looks so messy) and Loxophyllum meleagris was near the surface. The dark blobs are ciliates swimming deeper down in the droplet.
I was particularly impressed by the way the creature used its tail to push the ciliate into its mouth/stomach.
[DONE] If you can identify the players in this little drama do please let me know.
The 6 images are in sequence (there are only three .jpg files I promise ).
Bruce
Loxophyllum meleagris ingesting another ciliate (6 images)
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- Bruce Williams
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Loxophyllum meleagris ingesting another ciliate (6 images)
Last edited by Bruce Williams on Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:43 pm, edited 4 times in total.
- bernhardinho
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Hi Bruce,
the "worm" is a ciliate, believe it or not. It's called Loxophyllum meleagris.
http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/PCD1784/htmls/91.html
The smaller chap can only be guessed, I would go for Chilodonella.
Very nice images!!
Bernhard
the "worm" is a ciliate, believe it or not. It's called Loxophyllum meleagris.
http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/PCD1784/htmls/91.html
The smaller chap can only be guessed, I would go for Chilodonella.
Very nice images!!
Bernhard
- Bruce Williams
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Fantastic Bernhard you are a star! I am so pleased to get an accurate ID for the creature - and now I'm off to the web to find out what I can about Loxophyllum meleagris.
With the benefit of your expert knowhow I'm going to go back and change the title and edit the wording in this posting.
Thanks again.
Bruce
With the benefit of your expert knowhow I'm going to go back and change the title and edit the wording in this posting.
Thanks again.
Bruce
- bernhardinho
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Bruce Williams wrote:Fantastic Bernhard you are a star!
Please more!! But honestly, one is as good as one's bookshelf. May I venture to ask what literature you're using? See my website for hints if required ( http://www.bernhard-lebeda.de/mikroskop ... mikro.html it is under "Biologie der Wasserorganismen"- biology of freshwaterorganisms). Lots of the stuff there is in English.
Bye Bernhard
- Bruce Williams
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Bernhard,
At the moment I only have the book on British freshwater rotifers that you recommended - otherwise I just use the internet. I will check out your website hints on reading material - thanks.
Interestingly, following up on your ID of Loxophyllum meleagris I read on the web that the creature is predatory (well I knew that) and it uses the trichocysts in the wart-like protuberences down one side to immobilise its prey.
Well, following the series of pics that I put up in this posting, I watched it for a further half an hour (or so) in the hope of getting a video of it eating another ciliate. I was unsuccessful in that respect however I did video it purposely rubbing the warts down the side of another ciliate (bit larger than the one it ate). There is no doubt that tthat was what it was doing. Anyway for some reason it decided not to eat the ciliate at that point and it just "swam" off.
I'll put up an extract from that video tomorrow as I've used up my quota for today.
Bruce
At the moment I only have the book on British freshwater rotifers that you recommended - otherwise I just use the internet. I will check out your website hints on reading material - thanks.
Interestingly, following up on your ID of Loxophyllum meleagris I read on the web that the creature is predatory (well I knew that) and it uses the trichocysts in the wart-like protuberences down one side to immobilise its prey.
Well, following the series of pics that I put up in this posting, I watched it for a further half an hour (or so) in the hope of getting a video of it eating another ciliate. I was unsuccessful in that respect however I did video it purposely rubbing the warts down the side of another ciliate (bit larger than the one it ate). There is no doubt that tthat was what it was doing. Anyway for some reason it decided not to eat the ciliate at that point and it just "swam" off.
I'll put up an extract from that video tomorrow as I've used up my quota for today.
Bruce
- Bruce Williams
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Thanks Ken.
I have checked web photos of Chilodonella (Bernhard's guessed at ID), Colpidium and Tetrahymena and to be honest they are all possibles.
I am just gonna have to pay more attention to these smaller ciliates - there are always so many of them that I tend to ignore them and go off hunting for something different to photograph.
Bruce
I have checked web photos of Chilodonella (Bernhard's guessed at ID), Colpidium and Tetrahymena and to be honest they are all possibles.
I am just gonna have to pay more attention to these smaller ciliates - there are always so many of them that I tend to ignore them and go off hunting for something different to photograph.
Bruce
- Charles Krebs
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