portrait

Description:

Bryometopus (bry-o-me-toe-puss) is a uniformly ciliated and the cell is rounded at both poles and is slightly reniform. The conspicuous peristome lies obliquely across the ventral surface. The single contractile vacuole is located approximately in the middle of the cell on the ventral side. The macronucleus may be oval or elongate with several micronuclei. Bryometopus can be confused with Balantidioides which does not have an undulating membrane and with Condylostoma which has a wide triangular peristome and a highly conspicuous undulating membrane. This cell with a buccal cavitiy up to the first third of the cell. The posterior half of the cell is filled with endosymbitic algae. Measuring 120 microns. This specimen was collected in freshwater ponds near Konstanz, Germany. Differencial interference contrast.