-
Fig 1 Line drawings of protargol stained cells, showing kineties, oral structures and nucleus.
-
Urotricha (your-owe-trike-a) This ciliate has cilia all over the body surface, typically has a long caudal cilium, and has an ingestion area at the anterior end of the cell. It eats detritus. Common, with many species which are hard to distinguish from each other. Phase contrast.
-
Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991). Brightfield.
-
Los Cotos, Madrid, Spain
-
Fig 5: Protargol stains, Lateral view, showing macronucleus, cytopharyngeal basket, and extrusomes
-
Urotricha (your-owe-trike-a) This ciliate has cilia all over the body surface, typically has a long caudal cilium, and has an ingestion area at the anterior end of the cell. It eats detritus. Common, with many species which are hard to distinguish from each other. Differential interference contrast.
-
This ciliate, oval in shape, varies in size from 16-34 um long by 12-32 um wide (measured from fixed specimens). The nuclear apparatus consists of a large oval macronucleus of 8-11 um in length and a spherical micronucleus. Silver impregnation demonstrates somatic kinetosomes distributed in 18 to 21 meridional kineties that run from the anterior pole close to the oral cavity and extend only part way down the cell leaving the posterior third of the cell barren of cilia with the exception of a single long caudal cilium. The number of kinetosomes in each kinety is very variable, even in the same specimen, and ranges from 5 to 11 kinetosomes per kinety. The somatic kinetosomes bear a kinetodesmal fiber at its right side that runs towards the anterior kinetosome. Associated with each somatic kinetosome is a single parasomal sac. One of the somatic kineties is shorter than the rest and leaves an anterior space that is occupied by the kinetosomes of the "brosse" or dorsal brush. The "brosse"consists two organelles similar appearance to the membranelles formed by obliquely oriented rows of kinetosomes around the oral aperture. The upper or first organelle is formed by two rows of four kinetosomes each, and the second one by two rows of two kinetosomes only. The kinetosomes of the organanelles do not bear kinetodesmal fibers. The oral infraciliature is represented by a circumoral corona of 9-10 pairs of kinetosomes surrounding the anterior oral cavity. This species has short rod-shaped extrusomes. The extrusomes are located between kinetosomes along the somatic kineties. The silverline system is composed of a regular rectangular mesh in the anterior 3/4 of the cell. In the unciliated posterior 1/4 the silverline system has an irregular polygonal configuration. Kinetosomes are located at the right side of each rectangle. The kinetosomes and extrusomes lie along the fine primary longitudinal meridians at the right side of each rectangle. The extrusomes are located at the intersection of the transverse lines and the primary meridians. Dense secondary longitudinal meridians lie to the right of each primary meridian. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991). Brightfield.
-
Fig 6: Protargol stains, Lateral view, showing macronucleus, cytopharyngeal basket, and extrusomes
-
Urotricha (your-owe-trike-a) This ciliate has cilia all over the body surface, typically has a long caudal cilium, and has an ingestion area at the anterior end of the cell. It eats detritus. Common, with many species which are hard to distinguish from each other. Phase contrast.
-
The dorsal brush of this species consists of only two groups of kinetosomes, three pairs in the anterior group (yellow arrowhead) and two pairs in the posterior group (red arrowhead). Most Urotricha species have three or more groups of kinetosomes in the dorsal brush. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991). Brightfield.
-
Fig 7: Protargol stains, Detail of the cortex, showing the three adoral rows of dikinetids (AO) of the brosse, the somatic kineties (K), and cilia (C).
-
Urotricha (your-owe-trike-a) This ciliate has cilia all over the body surface, typically has a long caudal cilium, and has an ingestion area at the anterior end of the cell. It eats detritus. Common, with many species which are hard to distinguish from each other. Phase contrast.
-
Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.
-
Fig 8: Protargol stains, Detail of the cortex, showing the three adoral rows of dikinetids (AO) of the brosse, the somatic kineties (K), and cilia (C).
-
-
Although the silver carbonate technique usually does not demonstrate the silverline system, in some species it demonstrates it clearly as seen here. The green arrowhead indicates the secondary meridians and the kinetosomes and extrusomes lie along the fainter primary meridians. The kinetosomes are the dense dots in the rectangles formed by the longitudinal and transverse silverlines. The unexploded extrusomes are the empty circles at the intersection of the primary meridians and the transverse silverlines (yellow arrowhead). The area of the less regular polygonal meshwork posteriorly corresponds to the unciliated area of the cell. The single long posterior cilium is seen (blue arrowhead). The red arrowhead indicates the circumoral membranelles. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991). Brightfield.
-
Infraciliature of Urotricha platystoma (STOKES,1886).The yellow arrowhead indicates one of the obliquely oriented dikinetids surronding the oral aperture. The green arrowheads indicate the three obliquely oriented adoral organelles, each composed of two rows of kinetids. Collected from the margin of a slow-moving outflow stream of a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.March 2007. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (Foissner,W. Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.
-
Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991). Brightfield.
-
Posterior view of the infraciliature of Urotricha platystoma(STOKES,1886).The somatic kineties terminate in the posterior 1/4 of the cell (light blue arrowheads). The posterior end of the cell is unciliated (asterisk) except for the single long caudal cilium. the red arrowhead indicates the excentric pore of the contractile vacuole.Collected from the margin of a slow-moving outflow stream of a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.March 2007. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (Foissner,W. Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.
-
The oblique dikinetids of the circumoral membranelles are indicated by the yellow arrowhed. The anterior row part of the dorsal brush (green arrowhead) and the posterior part (red arrowhead) are seen here.The shortened somatic kinety terminating anteriorly at the dorsal brush is indicated by the blue arrowhead. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991). Brightfield.
-
Urotricha platystoma (STOKES,1886).Collected from the margin of a slow-moving outflow stream of a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.March 2007. Phase contrast.
-
Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.
-
Urotricha platystoma (STOKES,1886). The long caudal cilium is out of the focal plane in this image.Collected from the margin of a slow-moving outflow stream of a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.March 2007.DIC
-
The kinetid of the long posterior cilium is located centrally at the posterior pole (yellow arrohead). The eccentrically located excretory pore of the contractile vacuole is indicated by the light blue arrowhead. Stained by the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.