portrait

Description:

Protocruzia (pro-toe-cruise-ee-a) A drop-shaped ciliate with a short Adoral Zone of Membranelles leading to the mouth. Conventional cilia over the rest of the body propel the cell through the water. Consumes bacteria. This genus has a special status in the ciliates because it has a distinctive organization of the its nuclei, and seems to be at the base of the spirotrichs. Phase contrast.