portrait

Description:

This is the ventral face of the ciliate showing kineties running around the mouth. A few somatic kineties run uninterrupted to the right of the cytostome (left in this picture as we are looking at the ventral face) arching around the anterior of the cell. Several right somatic kineties are interrupted by the cytostome. A long membrane of cilia lies anterior to the mouth. Gastronauta feeds mainly on diatoms. Phase contrast illumination