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Portrait (left side) of the haptorid ciliate, Perispira ovum (Stein, 1859). The cell body is cylindrical to ovoid. The anterior end is slightly truncate. An unciliated cortical ridge makes a complete right-hand spiral the length of the body (seen here running obliquely across mid body). The slit-like cytostome, supported by fine trichites, is located at the anterior end of the cortical ridge. The uniform longitudinal somatic kineties spiral slightly. Densely packed food vacuoles and highly refractile cytoplasmic crystals often obscure the ellipsoid macronucleus. There is a single large terminal contractile vacuole posteriorly. Swims slowly. Collected from anoxic bottom sediments of slow flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho march 2004. DIC optics
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Portrait (right side) of the haptorid ciliate, Perispira ovum (Stein, 1859). The cell body is cylindrical to ovoid. The anterior end is slightly truncate. An unciliated cortical ridge makes a complete right-hand spiral the length of the body. The slit-like cytostome, supported by fine trichites, is located at the anterior end of the cortical ridge. The uniform longitudinal somatic kineties spiral slightly. Densely packed food vacuoles and highly refractile cytoplasmic crystals often obscure the ellipsoid macronucleus. There is a single large terminal contractile vacuole posteriorly. Swims slowly. Collected from anoxic bottom sediments of slow flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho march 2004. DIC optics
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Portrait (right side) of the haptorid ciliate, Perispira ovum (Stein, 1859). The cell body is cylindrical to ovoid. The anterior end is slightly truncate. A narrow unciliated cortical ridge makes a complete right-hand spiral the length of the body. The slit-like cytostome, supported by fine trichites (seen well in this image), is located at the anterior end of the cortical ridge. The uniform longitudinal somatic kineties spiral slightly. Densely packed food vacuoles and highly refractile cytoplasmic crystals often obscure the ellipsoid macronucleus. There is a single large terminal contractile vacuole posteriorly. Swims slowly. Collected from anoxic bottom sediments of slow flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho March 2004. DIC optics.
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Portrait (lateral view) of the haptorid ciliate, Perispira ovum (Stein, 1859). The cell body is cylindrical to ovoid. The anterior end is slightly truncate. An unciliated cortical ridge makes a complete right-hand spiral the length of the body. The slit-like cytostome, supported by fine trichites, is located at the anterior end of the cortical ridge. The uniform longitudinal somatic kineties spiral slightly. Densely packed food vacuoles and highly refractile cytoplasmic crystals often obscure the ellipsoid macronucleus. There is a single large terminal contractile vacuole posteriorly. Swims slowly. Collected from anoxic bottom sediments of slow flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho December 2004. Brightfield optics, closed condenser.
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Portrait (left side) of the haptorid ciliate, Perispira ovum (Stein, 1859). The cell body is cylindrical to ovoid. The anterior end is slightly truncate. An unciliated cortical ridge makes a complete right-hand spiral the length of the body. The slit-like cytostome, supported by fine trichites, is located at the anterior end of the cortical ridge. The uniform longitudinal somatic kineties spiral slightly. Densely packed food vacuoles and highly refractile cytoplasmic crystals often obscure the ellipsoid macronucleus. There is a single large terminal contractile vacuole posteriorly. Swims slowly. Collected from anoxic bottom sediments of slow flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho December 2004. DIC optics
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Infraciliature (posterior apical view) of the haptorid ciliate, Perispira ovum (Stein, 1859). The cell body in vivo is cylindrical to ovoid. The longitudinal somatic kineties spiral slightly. An unciliated cortical ridge, bordered on either side by by a file of closely spaced kinetids, makes a complete right-hand spiral the length of the body. The posterior portion of this structure is seen here to the viewer's left. The three files of clavate cilia (dorsal brush) are seen at the viewr's upper right. The right-most kinety of the dorsal brush has longer cilia than the two kineties to it's left. Collected from anoxic bottom sediments of slow flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho December 2004. Stained by the silver carbonate technic (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.
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Infraciliature (ventrolateral view) of the haptorid ciliate, Perispira ovum (Stein, 1859). The cell body in vivo is cylindrical to ovoid. The longitudinal somatic kineties spiral slightly. An unciliated cortical ridge, bordered on either side by by a file of closely spaced kinetids, makes a complete right-hand spiral the length of the body. The anterior portion of this structure is seen here. The cytostome is located at the anterior end of the spiral ridge. The cytostome is supported by trichites (not seen here).Collected from anoxic bottom sediments of slow flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho December 2004. Stained by the silver carbonate technic (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.
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Portrait of the haptorid ciliate, Perispira ovum (Stein, 1859). The cell body is cylindrical to ovoid. The anterior end is slightly truncate. An unciliated cortical ridge (not well seen here) makes a complete right-hand spiral the length of the body. The slit-like cytostome, supported by fine trichites, is located at the anterior end of the cortical ridge. The uniform longitudinal somatic kineties spiral slightly. There are thre files of clavate (club-shaped) cilia forming a dorsal brush. The right-most of these (visible here to the viewer's upper right) hhas longer cilia than the two kineties to it's right. The cytoplasm in this individual is densely packed chloroplasts from ingested euglenae. These are probably "kleptoplasts". Kleptoplasts are plastids from ingested prey that are maintained in the cytoplasm and not digested. Perispira ovum may also sequester mitochondria from its prey in similar fashion (Johnson, PW et al. J. Euk. Microbiol.42:323-335,1995). There is a single large terminal contractile vacuole posteriorly. Collected from anoxic bottom sediments of slow flowing freshwater stream near Boise, Idaho march 2004. DIC.
