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Euplotes (you-ploe-tees) a hypotrich ciliate, with an anterior adoral zone of membranelles forming a collar and lapel leading down to the cytostome which is midway down the cell and on the ventral side. It is a hypotrich ciliate and uses cirri (aggregates of ciliate, sometimes as many as 50 or more) to walk against the substrate. Identification is approximate as the full identification requires that cells be silver-stained and the location of each cirrus be mapped out. DIfferential interference contrast.
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Portrait (ventral view) of the marine hypotrich ciliate, Kiitricha marina (Nozowa, 1941). The genus is monotypic. The cell has a broadly elliptical outline and is dorsoventrally flattened. The dorsal surface is slightly convex, the ventrum slight concave. The large peristome extends from the anterior end along the left side to terminate in a cytostome in the posterior ¼ of the body. There is a prominent adoral zone of membranelles on the left margin of the peristome and an undulating membrane on its right margin. Uniform dorsal kineties run from left anterior to right posterior on the dorsal surface. On the ventral surface there are approximately 10 longitudinal rows of cirri to the right of and posterior to the cytostome (seen in this image). There are five large transverse cirri lying to the right of the posterior end of the cytostome within the ventral cirral field (seen well in this image). This feature distinguishes Kiitricha marina from the very similar Caryotricha convexa whose transverse cirri lie outside the ventral cirral field posterior and to the left of the peristome. There is a single ovoid macronucleus with an adjacent spherical micronucleus in the center. Collected from a commercial saltwater aquarium in Boise, Idaho February 2004. DIC optics.
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A species of the marine hypotrich genus, Diophrys (DUJARDIN,1840). The genus contains many species. Collected from a commercial marine aquarium in Boise, Idaho. DIC.
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Euplotes (you-p-low-tees) is a hypotrich ciliate. The hypotrichs form part of the spirotrichs, and most have a large adoral zone of membranelles curving around the front of the cells and terminating at the cytostome on the ventral surface. They are called hypotrichs because the cilia that are used for locomotion are located mostly on the ventral side of the cilia. The cilia are clustered into aggregates called cirri. Euplotids feed on suspended particles such as bacteria and algae. Common. Differential interference contrast.
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Portrait (dorsal view) of the marine hypotrich ciliate, Kiitricha marina (Nozowa, 1941). The genus is monotypic. The cell has a broadly elliptical outline and is dorsoventrally flattened. The dorsal surface is slightly convex, the ventrum slight concave. The large peristome extends from the anterior end along the left side to terminate in a cytostome in the posterior ¼ of the body. There is a prominent adoral zone of membranelles on the left margin of the peristome and an undulating membrane on its right margin. Uniform dorsal kineties run from left anterior to right posterior on the dorsal surface (seen in this image). On the ventral surface there are approximately 10 longitudinal rows of cirri to the right of and posterior to the cytostome (seen in this image). There are five large transverse cirri lying to the right of the posterior end of the cytostome within the ventral cirral field (not seen here). This feature distinguishes Kiitricha marina from the very similar Caryotricha convexa whose transverse cirri lie outside the ventral cirral field posterior and to the left of the peristome. There is a single ovoid macronucleus (seen in this image) with an adjacent spherical micronucleus in the center. Collected from a commercial saltwater aquarium in Boise, Idaho February 2004. DIC optics.
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A species of the marine hypotrich genus, Diophrys (DUJARDIN,1840). The genus contains many species. Collected from a commercial marine aquarium in Boise, Idaho. DIC.
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Euplotes (you-p-low-tees) is a hypotrich ciliate. The hypotrichs form part of the spirotrichs, and most have a large adoral zone of membranelles curving around the front of the cells and terminating at the cytostome on the ventral surface. They are called hypotrichs because the cilia that are used for locomotion are located mostly on the ventral side of the cilia. The cilia are clustered into aggregates called cirri. They are clearly evident in this image of the dorsal side of the cell. Euplotids feed on suspended particles such as bacteria and algae. Common. Phase contrast.
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Portrait (ventral view) of the marine hypotrich ciliate, Kiitricha marina (Nozowa, 1941). The genus is monotypic. The cell has a broadly elliptical outline and is dorsoventrally flattened. The dorsal surface is slightly convex, the ventrum slight concave. The large peristome extends from the anterior end along the left side to terminate in a cytostome in the posterior ¼ of the body. There is a prominent adoral zone of membranelles on the left margin of the peristome and an undulating membrane on its right margin. Uniform dorsal kineties run from left anterior to right posterior on the dorsal surface. On the ventral surface there are approximately 10 longitudinal rows of cirri to the right of and posterior to the cytostome. There are five large transverse cirri lying to the right of the posterior end of the cytostome within the ventral cirral field. This feature distinguishes Kiitricha marina from the very similar Caryotricha convexa whose transverse cirri lie outside the ventral cirral field posterior and to the left of the peristome. There is a single ovoid macronucleus with an adjacent spherical micronucleus in the center. Collected from a commercial saltwater aquarium in Boise, Idaho February 2004. DIC
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A species of the marine hypotrich genus, Diophrys (DUJARDIN,1840). The genus contains many species. Collected from a commercial marine aquarium in Boise, Idaho. Phase contrast.
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Euplotes (you-p-low-tees) is a hypotrich ciliate. The hypotrichs form part of the spirotrichs, and most have a large adoral zone of membranelles curving around the front of the cells and terminating at the cytostome on the ventral surface. They are called hypotrichs because the cilia that are used for locomotion are located mostly on the ventral side of the cilia. The cilia are clustered into aggregates called cirri. This image illustrates the adoral zone of membranelles. Phase contrast.
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Portrait (ventral view) of the marine hypotrich ciliate, Aspidisca leptaspis (Fresenius, 1865). The cell outline is broadly oval and strongly dorsoventrally flattened. The pellicle is rigid and transparent. There are 2 left-anterolateral and several smaller posterior spines. The posterior spines vary from very small to quite prominent. In this individual they are not discernable. There are seven large and one small frontoventral (FV) cirri (including one buccal cirrus). There are five transverse cirri. The left-most transverse cirrus may be subdivided into several small bundles. There is a small left anterolateral âadoralâ zone of membranelles (AZM1), which is actually separate from the peristome. The more prominent adoral zone of membranelles (AZM2) borders the large obliquely situated left posterior peristome. There are longitudinal rows short dorsal cilia on subtle dorsal ridges. The macronucleus is horseshoe-shaped. Collected from a commercial saltwater aquarium in Boise, Idaho February 2003. DIC optics.
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Aspidisca (as-pid-isk-a) is a hypotrich ciliate, and identifiable as a hypotrich because it uses clumps of cilia (cirri) on the ventral surface to walk over the substrate. Hypotrichs are part of the polyhymenophora, and usually feed using an extensive adoral zone of membranelles which extends from the front of the cell to a mouth in the posterior ventral part of the cell. However, in Aspidisca, the AZM has been greatly reduced and forms a kind of scrubbing brush on the ventral surface . Differential interference contrast.
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Euplotes (you-p-low-tees) is a hypotrich ciliate. The hypotrichs form part of the spirotrichs, and most have a large adoral zone of membranelles curving around the front of the cells and terminating at the cytostome on the ventral surface. They are called hypotrichs because the cilia that are used for locomotion are located mostly on the ventral side of the cilia. The cilia are clustered into aggregates called cirri. Euplotids feed on suspended particles such as bacteria and algae. Common. Phase contrast.
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Aspidisca (as-pid-isk-a) is a hypotrich ciliate, and identifiable as a hypotrich because it uses clumps of cilia (cirri) on the ventral surface to walk over the substrate. Hypotrichs are part of the polyhymenophora, and usually feed using an extensive adoral zone of membranelles which extends from the front of the cell to a mouth in the posterior ventral part of the cell. However, in Aspidisca, the AZM has been greatly reduced and forms a kind of scrubbing brush on the ventral surface - and visible at 4 o clock on the right margin of the cell. Phase contrast
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Euplotes (you-ploe-tees) is a hypotrich ciliate. There is an adoral zone of membranelles leading from the front of the cell to the mouth (where food vacuoles are formed) on the ventral side of the body. Hypotrichs use clumps of cilia called cirri to move, and this image is focussed on the cirri which arise from the ventral side of the cell. DIfferential interference microscopy.
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Aspidisca, small atypical hypotrich, seen here from ventral surface. With a few ventral cirri and adoral zone of membranelles, on the right, reduced to a small brush. Differential interference contrast.
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Euplotes (you-ploe-tees) is a hypotrich ciliate. There is an adoral zone of membranelles leading from the front of the cell to the mouth (where food vacuoles are formed) on the ventral side of the body. Membranelles are paddles formed by clusters of cilia which adhere to each other (at this size, water is viscous and acts like a glue holding cilia together). DIfferential interference microscopy.
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Aspidisca, a common, small hypotrich ciliate genus with many species. The cell body is rigid, colorless and dorsoventrally flattened sometimes with peripheral or dorsal spinous projections. The dorsum may be longitudinally ribbed (e.g. A. cicada). Marginal and caudal cirri are absent and ventral cirri prominent (frontoventral and transverse groups). The oral aperture is faintly visible on the organism's left posterior margin in this image (we are looking at it from the ventral side). The adoral zone of membranelles is divided into a small part at the anterior left side and a larger part around the peristome, neither is well seen in this image. Macronucleus is bipartite in some species but more usually "C" or horseshoe shaped. Usually small but one species, A. magna may exceed 150 microns in length. Probably polyphagous but mainly feeds on bacteria. From standing freshwater near Boise, Idaho. Phase contrast.
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Euplotes (you-ploe-tees) is a hypotrich ciliate. There is an adoral zone of membranelles leading from the front of the cell to the mouth (where food vacuoles are formed) on the ventral side of the body. Membranelles are paddles formed by clusters of cilia which adhere to each other (at this size, water is viscous and acts like a glue holding cilia together). Hypotrichs use clumps of cilia called cirri to move. The two images (of the same cell) are taken at slightly different focal levels. Phase contrast microscopy.
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Aspidisca is a small, atypical hypotrich ciliate with cilia clustered together to form little 'legs'. A small group of cilia, used for feeding, is near the back (lower right of the image) of the cell.
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Euplotes, common hypotrich ciliate. There is an adoral zone of membranelles extending around the front of the cell and this is used to acquire bacteria and small protists as food. Euplotes uses cirri - collections of cilia - to walk over the substrate. From Lake Donghu, China. Phase contrast micrograph.
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This image of Aspidisca was taken from an anaerobic marine sediment sample incubated under laboratory conditions.