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Pelagovasicola (pee-ladge-o-vee-sick-o-la) cinctum is a very fast swimming obovoid ciliate measuring 50 - 180 X 40 - 85 microns. It is common in plankton of lakes and ponds. The body is surrounded by 5-7 distinct ciliary girdles. The posterior fifth of the cell is unciliated. The contractile vacuole lies in the posterior end and has about 20 radial collecting channels. The macronucleus is kidney-shaped and lies in the mid-body. Extrusomes are arranged in the margin of the oral dome, occasionally extruded as bundles of fine filaments. This free-swimming specimen was collected in the plankton of a bog pond near Konstanz, Germany. 115 X 92 microns. Differential interference contrast.
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Mesodinium (me-sew-din-ee-um) common marine ciliate, small with a wreath which includes forward and rearward pointing cilia. Often small tentacles emerge from the apex of the cell. The tentacles may seem forked at their tips They have a jumping motion often coming to rest, spinning for a few seconds before dashing off to somewhere else. One species includes red algal symbionts and may occur in sufficient numbers to cause a red tide - but not toxic. Phase contrast.
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Mesodinium cinctum--Side and top views.
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Ribadelago de Franco, Castille and Leon, Spain
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Pelagovasicola (pee-ladge-o-vee-sick-o-la) cinctum is a very fast swimming obovoid ciliate measuring 50 - 180 X 40 - 85 microns. It is common in plankton of lakes and ponds. The body is surrounded by 5-7 distinct ciliary girdles. The posterior fifth of the cell is unciliated. The contractile vacuole lies in the posterior end and has about 20 radial collecting channels. The macronucleus is kidney-shaped and lies in the mid-body. Extrusomes are arranged in the margin of the oral dome, occasionally extruded as bundles of fine filaments. This slightly squashed specimen was collected in the plankton of a bog pond near Konstanz, Germany, and this images emphasizes the radial collecting channels of the contractile vacuole. Differential interference contrast.
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Mesodinium (me-sew-din-ee-um) common marine ciliate, small with a wreath which includes forward and rearward pointing cilia. Often small tentacles emerge from the apex of the cell. The tentacles may seem forked at their tips They have a jumping motion often coming to rest, spinning for a few seconds before dashing off to somewhere else. One species includes red algal symbionts and may occur in sufficient numbers to cause a red tide - but not toxic. Differential interference contrast.
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Mohedas de la Jara, Castille la Mancha, Spain
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Pelagovasicola (pee-ladge-o-vee-sick-o-la) cinctum is a very fast swimming obovoid ciliate measuring 50 - 180 X 40 - 85 microns. It is common in plankton of lakes and ponds. The body is surrounded by 5-7 distinct ciliary girdles. The posterior fifth of the cell is unciliated. The contractile vacuole lies in the posterior end and has about 20 radial collecting channels. The macronucleus is kidney-shaped and lies in the mid-body. Extrusomes are arranged in the margin of the oral dome, occasionally extruded as bundles of fine filaments. This slightly squashed specimen was collected in the plankton of a bog pond near Konstanz, Germany, and this images emphasizes the extruded extrusomes at the margin of the oral dome. Differential interference contrast.
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Mesodinium (me-sew-din-ee-um) common marine ciliate, small with a wreath which includes forward and rearward pointing cilia. Often small tentacles emerge from the apex of the cell. The tentacles may seem forked at their tips They have a jumping motion often coming to rest, spinning for a few seconds before dashing off to somewhere else. One species includes red algal symbionts and may occur in sufficient numbers to cause a red tide - but not toxic. Phase contrast.
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Lardero, La Rioja, Spain
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Pelagovasicola (pee-ladge-o-vee-sick-o-la) cinctum is a very fast swimming obovoid ciliate measuring 50 - 180 X 40 - 85 microns. It is common in plankton of lakes and ponds. The body is surrounded by 5-7 distinct ciliary girdles. The posterior fifth of the cell is unciliated. The contractile vacuole lies in the posterior end and has about 20 radial collecting channels. The macronucleus is kidney-shaped and lies in the mid-body. Extrusomes are arranged in the margin of the oral dome, occasionally extruded as bundles of fine filaments. This slightly squashed specimen was collected in the plankton of a bog pond near Konstanz, Germany, and this images emphasizes the finely meshed alveolar pattern of the cortex. Differential interference contrast.
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Mohedas de la Jara, Castille la Mancha, Spain
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Pelagovasicola (pee-ladge-o-vee-sick-o-la) cinctum is a very fast swimming obovoid ciliate measuring 50 - 180 X 40 - 85 microns. It is common in plankton of lakes and ponds. The body is surrounded by 5-7 distinct ciliary girdles. The posterior fifth of the cell is unciliated. The contractile vacuole lies in the posterior end and has about 20 radial collecting channels. The macronucleus is kidney-shaped and lies in the mid-body. Extrusomes are arranged in the margin of the oral dome, occasionally extruded as bundles of fine filaments. This slightly squashed specimen was collected in the plankton of a bog pond near Konstanz, Germany, and this images emphasizes the characteristic rows of basal bodies ciliary girdles (arrows). Differential interference contrast.
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Mesodinium. Cell observed in sandy and muddy marine sediments in the vicinity of Broome, Western Australia in September 2003. This image was taken using differential interference contrast optics. This work was supported by the Australian Biological Resources Study.
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Mohedas de la Jara, Castille la Mancha, Spain
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Mesodinium pulex (CLAPARÃDE&LACHMANN,1859) STEIN,1867, a small haptorid ciliate. The anterior end is bluntly cone-shaped with extensile tentacular processes (attaching organism to filamentous alga in this image). Between the anterior cone and spherical posterior are a slight constriction and two girdles of cilia. The anterior girdle is grouped into three tufts in this species (yellow arrowheads). The ends of the tufts are furcate. The more posterior girdle of cilia lies close to the body at rest making it difficult to see. M. pulex, rests, motionless, or attaches by tentacular processes to the substrate and intermittently darts backwards for distances of many cell lengths. Feeds on bacteria and other protists. The two described freshwater species may differ only in the number of ciliary tufts seen in lateral view (i.e. 2 in M. arcarus and 3 in M. pulex). From freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. Phase contrast.
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Pera, Faro, Portugal
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Portrait of the haptorid ciliate, Askenasia volvox (Eichwald,1852) Kahl, 1930. The cell is spherical posteriorly and the anterior is a truncate cone.The cytostome is at the anterior apex.The cytostome is surrounded by an undulating line of granules (seen only in silver impregnated specimens).Somatic cilia are arranged in three (anterior,middle and posterior)girdles.The posterior girdle consists of long stiff bristles.The anterior cilia are directed forward and the middle girdle cilia are longer , curving backwards in a "sickle" configuration.These cilia produce the saltatory locomotion typical of this genus.The posterior of the cell is unciliated.The central macronucleus is C-shaped. There is a single subequatorial contractile vacuole. From a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. Phase contrast.
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Pera, Faro, Portugal
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Posterior apical view of the haptorid ciliate,Askenasia volvox (Eichwald,1852) Kahl, 1930. The cell is spherical posteriorly and the anterior is a truncate cone.The cytostome is at the anterior apex.The cytostome is surrounded by an undulating line of granules (seen only in silver impregnated specimens).Somatic cilia are arranged in three (anterior,middle and posterior)girdles.The posterior girdle consists of long stiff bristles (seen here).The anterior cilia are directed forward and the middle girdle cilia are longer,curving backwards in a "sickle" configuration.These cilia produce the saltatory locomotion typical of this genus (they are seen well in this image).The posterior of the cell is unciliated.The central macronucleus is C-shaped. There is a single subequatorial contractile vacuole. From a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. Phase contrast.
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Pera, Faro, Portugal
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Posterior apical view of the haptorid ciliate,Askenasia volvox (Eichwald,1852) Kahl, 1930. The cell is spherical posteriorly and the anterior is a truncate cone.The cytostome is at the anterior apex.The cytostome is surrounded by an undulating line of granules (seen only in silver impregnated specimens).Somatic cilia are arranged in three (anterior,middle and posterior)girdles.The posterior girdle consists of long stiff bristles (seen here).The anterior cilia are directed forward and the middle girdle cilia are longer,curving backwards in a "sickle" configuration.These cilia produce the saltatory locomotion typical of this genus (they are seen well in this image).The posterior of the cell is unciliated.The central macronucleus is C-shaped. There is a single subequatorial contractile vacuole (seen here to viewer's left). From a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.DIC.
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Lateral view of the haptorid ciliate,Askenasia volvox (Eichwald,1852) Kahl, 1930. The cell is spherical posteriorly and the anterior is a truncate cone.The cytostome is at the anterior apex.The cytostome is surrounded by an undulating line of granules (seen only in silver impregnated specimens).Somatic cilia are arranged in three (anterior,middle and posterior)girdles.The posterior girdle consists of long stiff bristles (seen here).The anterior cilia are directed forward and the middle girdle cilia are longer,curving backwards in a "sickle" configuration.These cilia produce the saltatory locomotion typical of this genus (they are seen well in this image).The posterior of the cell is unciliated.The central macronucleus is C-shaped. There is a single subequatorial contractile vacuole (seen here to viewer's right). From a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho.Brightfield with closed condenser.