Loxodidae

Loxodes spec. 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.

Rumoroso, Cantabria, Espaa

Loxodes striatus is a fresh-water karyorelictid ciliate. This ciliate was collected from a local pond (3604'N 12020'E) in Qingdao, China. Image taken by Ying Yan. Differential interference contrast.

Portrait of Loxodes vorax (left side), a colorless karyorelict ciliate. The cell body is elongate, rounded anteriorly and posteriorly and highly laterally compressed. The anterior is bent ventrally forming a short beak-like rostrum. Very flexible. Somatic ciliature on the left side is restricted to a marginal kinety (seen here). On the right surface there are regular longitudinal kineties. The slit shaped cytostome is located in a ventral concavity posterior to the rostrum. A cone of fibrils forms a primitive cytopharynx at the posterior end of the cytostome. Two small spherical macronuclei flank a micronucleus in the mid body (seen here just anterior to ingested cyanobacteria). Refractile concretions of barium sulfate occupy several Müller's vesicles on the dorsal side. These probably act as statoreceptors, orienting the organism in the gravitational field. L. vorax is very similar to L. rostrum, the type species, but lacks zoochlorellae and also has a prominent posterior vacuole of uncertain function (seen here). Several food vacuoles are visible. From organically enriched freshwater pond sediment near Boise, Idaho. DIC optics.

Portrait of Loxodes vorax (left side), a colorless karyorelict ciliate. The cell body is elongate, rounded anteriorly and posteriorly and highly laterally compressed. The anterior is bent ventrally forming a short beak-like rostrum. Very flexible. Somatic ciliature on the left side is restricted to a marginal kinety (seen here). On the right surface there are regular longitudinal kineties. The slit shaped cytostome is located in a ventral concavity posterior to the rostrum. A cone of fibrils forms a primitive cytopharynx at the posterior end of the cytostome. Two small spherical macronuclei flank a micronucleus in the mid body dorsally. Refractile concretions of barium sulfate occupy several Müller's vesicles on the dorsal side. These probably act as statoreceptors, orienting the organism in the gravitational field. L. vorax is very similar to L. rostrum, the type species, but lacks zoochlorellae. Several food vacuoles are visible. From organically enriched freshwater pond sediment near Boise, Idaho. DIC optics.

Loxodes, a compressed (flattened side-to-side) karyolectid ciliate. Detail of anterior with slit-like curved cytostome just posterior to hooked "rostrum". Right surface is densely ciliated while left side has only marginal kineties. Numerous Müller's vesicles with refractile inclusions are seen at intervals along the dorsal margin. The function of these is unknown. They contain concretions of barium salts. Body flexible. Several freshwater species. From standing freshwater with abundant decomposing leaves near Boise, Idaho. Brightfield.