Caenomorpha medusula

Caenomorpha medusula The specimen was gathered in the pond Birkensee near Rödelsee (Lower Franconia, Germany). Sampling date 7/2018.Copyright Dr. Rainer Meisch, Würzburg, Germany.Images were taken using Zeiss Axioplan with Canon DSLR Image under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). Place name: Pond Birkensee near Rödelsee (Lower Franconia, Germany) Latitude: 49.71819841 Longitude: 10.27807474 Probe aus dem Birkensee bei Rödelsee (Unterfranken). Datum der Aufsammlung: 7/2018. Copyright Dr. Rainer Meisch, Würzburg. Mikrotechnik: Zeiss Axioplan, Kamera: Canon DSLR. Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). For permission to use of (high-resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.

Caenomorpha medusula The specimen was gathered in the pond Birkensee near Rödelsee (Lower Franconia, Germany). Sampling date 7/2018.Copyright Dr. Rainer Meisch, Würzburg, Germany.Images were taken using Zeiss Axioplan with Canon DSLR Image under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). Place name: Pond Birkensee near Rödelsee (Lower Franconia, Germany) Latitude: 49.71819841 Longitude: 10.27807474 Probe aus dem Birkensee bei Rödelsee (Unterfranken). Datum der Aufsammlung: 7/2018. Copyright Dr. Rainer Meisch, Würzburg. Mikrotechnik: Zeiss Axioplan, Kamera: Canon DSLR. Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA). For permission to use of (high-resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.

Caenomorpha (seen-owe-morph-a) medusula. Body medusoid with 1 to 3 posterior spines. Without somatic cilia except for a band which lies near the membranelles. The membranelles form a long spiral that encircles the body and ends in posteriorly situated cytostome. A contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine. Symbiotic (methanogenic) bacteria occur in the cytoplasm. Move very quickly, with a jerky rotation. Between 1-4 macronuclei but always with only 1 micronucleus. Common in anoxic habitats. This specimen was collected in a bog near Konstanz, Germany. Slightly squashed specimen of Caenomorpha medusula. Focal plane on the rim of the bell-shaped anterior half of the body. Specimen measures 90 microns. Differential interference contrast.

Caenomorpha (seen-owe-morph-a) medusula. Body medusoid with 1 to 3 posterior spines. Without somatic cilia except for a band which lies near the membranelles. The membranelles form a long spiral that encircles the body and ends in posteriorly situated cytostome. A contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine. Symbiotic (methanogenic) bacteria occur in the cytoplasm. Move very quickly, with a jerky rotation. Between 1-4 macronuclei but always with only 1 micronucleus. Common in anoxic habitats. This specimen was collected in a bog near Konstanz, Germany. The two macronuclei are visible near the center of the body and the contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine. 90 microns long. Differential interference contrast.

Portrait of the armophorid ciliate, Caenomorpha medusula (Perty,1852). The colorless pellicle is rigid and twisted to the left. The anterior is broadly rounded and umbrella-like with a long posterior spine. Somatic ciliature is reduced to 2 rows of thigmotactic cirri on the left side of the anterior dome. The peristome spirals around the long axis, bordered anteriorly by a perizonal stripe of cilia and posteriorly by an adoral zone of membranelles. The cytostome situated at the posterior end of the peristome. There are 3 or 4 spherical macronuclei; 1 posterior contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine . The cytoplasm contains multiple endosymbiotic methanogenic bacteria. C. medusula is found in anaerobic habitats. C. medusula is distinguished fro other species in the genus by its shape and by its two anterior cirral files (other species have only one). Collected from sapropelic bottom sediments of a slow-flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho January 2005. DIC.

Portrait of the armophorid ciliate, Caenomorpha medusula (Perty,1852). The colorless pellicle is rigid and twisted to the left. The anterior is broadly rounded and umbrella-like with a long posterior spine. Somatic ciliature is reduced to 2 curved rows of thigmotactic cirri on the left side of the anterior dome (seen well here). The peristome spirals around the long axis, bordered anteriorly by a perizonal stripe of cilia and posteriorly by an adoral zone of membranelles. The cytostome situated at the posterior end of the peristome. There are 3 or 4 spherical macronuclei; 1 posterior contractile vacuole is located at the base of the spine . The cytoplasm contains multiple endosymbiotic methanogenic bacteria. C. medusula is found in anaerobic habitats. C. medusula is distinguished fro other species in the genus by its shape and by its two anterior cirral files (other species have only one). Collected from sapropelic bottom sediments of a slow-flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho January 2005.Stained by the silver carbonate technic (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27,313-330;1991) Brightfield.

Phase contrast micrograph of living cell.