Ophryoglenina

Description: English: Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (ich) a common single-celled parasite of wild fish that finds its way into hatcheries through their water supplies (often streams and rivers that harbor wild fish populations). Date: 6 September 2013. Source: Flickr. Author: Andy Goodwin/USFWS.

Description: English: image of White Spot disease causing Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. Date: 6 May 2019. Source: Own work. Author: Premgarg.d.

Description: English: Simplified scheme of the life cycle of the fish parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. Date: 29 May 2014, 00:29:23. Source: doi:10.3389/fenvs.2014.00018. Author: Peter R. Richter, Sebastian M. Strauch, Azizullah Azizullah and Donat-P. Häder. Other versions: : File:Life cycle of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.svg is a vector version of this file. File:API → File:Life cycle of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.svg For more information, see Help:SVG. In other languages. Alemannisch ∙ العربية ∙ беларуская (тарашкевіца) ∙ български ∙ বাংলা ∙ català ∙ нохчийн ∙ čeština ∙ dansk ∙ Deutsch ∙ Ελληνικά ∙ English ∙ British English ∙ Esperanto ∙ español ∙ eesti ∙ euskara ∙ فارسی ∙ suomi ∙ français ∙ Frysk ∙ galego ∙ עברית ∙ hrvatski ∙ magyar ∙ հայերեն ∙ Bahasa Indonesia ∙ Ido ∙ italiano ∙ 日本語 ∙ ქართული ∙ 한국어 ∙ lietuvių ∙ македонски ∙ മലയാളം ∙ Bahasa Melayu ∙ norsk bokmål ∙ Plattdüütsch ∙ Nederlands ∙ norsk nynorsk ∙ norsk ∙ occitan ∙ polski ∙ português ∙ português do Brasil ∙ română ∙ русский ∙ sicilianu ∙ Scots ∙ slovenčina ∙ slovenščina ∙ српски / srpski ∙ svenska ∙ தமிழ் ∙ ไทย ∙ Türkçe ∙ татарча/tatarça ∙ українська ∙ vèneto ∙ Tiếng Việt ∙ 中文（简体） ∙ 中文（繁體） ∙ +/−. : .

This ciliate is like an easter egg. Macronucleous is long and twisted.

Portrait of a slightly squashed, Ophryoglena (Ehrenberg,1831), a histophagous hymenostome ciliate some species of which are parasitic. Hosts include the nymphs of dragonflies and mayflies. The life cycle of parasitic forms is polymorphic, this portrait showing what is probably the theront or free-swimming hunter stage. The body is oval to elongate. The somatic ciliature consists of dense longitudinal kineties with a preoral suture. The oral aperture is located in the anterior quarter of the cell and has the outline of a right human ear. The buccal cavity spirals deep into the body and has an undulating membrane and three membranelles. On the left side of the buccal cavity is the refringent organelle of Lieberkühn also referred to as the "watchglass organelle". This can be seen here as a small cup-shaped structure with a collection of pigmented refractile granules adjacent to its convex surface. This structure is thought to play a role in phototaxis which is positive in some phases of the life cycle and negative in others. There are one or two contractile vacuoles each emptying through several pores. The macronucleus is flattened and ellipsoid in outline. From freshwater pond populated by dragonfly and mayfly nymphs near Boise, Idaho. DIC.

Ophryoglena. Detail of anterior somatic ciliature in Ophryoglena. The somatic ciliature consists of dense longitudinal kineties with a preoral suture. From freshwater pond populated by dragonfly and mayfly nymphs near Boise, Idaho. Differential interference contrast optics.

Detail of the refringent organelle of Lieberkühn in Ophryoglena (also referred to as the "watchglass organelle" because of its shape). This is a unique feature of Ophryoglenid ciliates. It can be seen here as a small cup-shaped structure with a collection of pigmented refractile granules adjacent to its convex surface. This structure is thought to play a role in phototaxis which is positive in some phases of the life cycle and negative in others. From freshwater pond populated by dragonfly and mayfly nymphs near Boise, Idaho. Differential interference contrast.

Division cyst of Ophryoglena sp. (Ehrenberg, 1831) containing four tomites. Tomites are fission products of the divisional stage of histophagous ciliates, the tomont. The tomont encysts and undergoes rapid divisions into tomites that are small free-swimming non-feeding forms that then become feeding or vegetative forms called trophonts. These, in turn become tomonts. The closely spaced somatic kineties of the tomite at 11 o’clock are evident. The organelle of Lieberkühn is visible in the tomite at 9 o’clock and the one at 2 o’clock in this image. Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. DIC.

Portrait of Ophryoglena atra (Lieberkühn,1856), a histophagous hymenostome ciliate. some species of which are parasitic. Hosts include the nymphs of dragonflies and mayflies. The life cycle of parasitic forms is polymorphic, this portrait shows what is probably the theront or free-swimming hunter stage. The body is oval to elongate. The somatic ciliature consists of dense longitudinal kineties with a preoral suture. The oral aperture is located in the anterior quarter of the cell and has the outline of a right human ear. The buccal cavity spirals deep into the body and has an undulating membrane and three membranelles. Adjacent to the buccal cavity is the refringent organelle of Lieberkühn also referred to as the "watchglass organelle".This structure is thought to play a role in phototaxis which is positive in some phases of the life cycle and negative in others. O. atra is distinguished from other Ophryoglena species by its vermiform macronucleus (seen here). There is one contractile vacuole which empties through several pores. Collected from a freshwater pond populated by dragonfly and mayfly nymphs near Boise, Idaho. DIC. 

Infraciliature (ventral, anterior) of the ciliate, Ophryoglena flava (Ehrenberg, 1833). The numerous closely spaced longitudinal kineties on the right and left of the oral aperture converge at a sigmoid preoral suture. At least 15 postoral kineties terminate at the oral aperture. The dense inner ciliary rows of the buccal opening are seen here as a brown crescent in the concavity of which the refractile "watchglass organelle" (Lieberkühn's organelle) is located. Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. Silver carbonate method (Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27,313-330;1991). Brightfield. 

Infraciliature (ventral) of the ciliate, Ophryoglena utriculariae (Kahl, 1831). The numerous closely spaced longitudinal kineties on the right and left of the oral aperture converge at a sigmoid preoral suture. At least 15 postoral kineties terminate at the oral aperture. There is a single long caudal cilium. The dense inner ciliary rows of the buccal opening are seen here as a brown crescent in the concavity of which the refractile "watchglass organelle" (Lieberkühn's organelle) is located (seen well here).There is one right lateral contractile vacuole (not seen here). The large ellipsoid macronucleus is seen here with its anterior end at the posterior margin of the oral aperture. Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. Silver carbonate method (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27,313-330;1991). Brightfield.