Dorsal bristle complex

Description :

Dorsal surfacace of the large hypotrich ciliate, Euplotes eurystomus (Wrześniowski, 1870). The pellicle is colorless and inflexible. There are 9 - 11, (usually 10) rows of dorsal bristles in longitudinal furrows. These dorsal bristle complexes have a complicated structure consisting of dikinetids at the base of a shallow pellicular pit with only the anterior kinetid bearing a bristle. A rosette of cortical ampullae resembling mucocysts radiates from each complex (visible in this image). These dorsal bristles are probably not locomotary but may have a sensory function. Collected from a freshwater aquaculture pond near Boise, Idaho. DIC.