portrait

The Paramecium, shown in this image, was flattened slightly to make the cell components more visible. The cell is covered with hundreds of cilia. The dark structure upper right is the macronucleus.  This image has been selected from 'Seen and Unseen, Discovering the Microbes of Yellowstone' by Kathy Sheehan, David Patterson, Brett Leigh Dicks and Joan Henson, and published by Globe Pequot Press download as pdf file
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Paramecium

Description of Paramecium: Peniculine ciliates. Buccal opening located at the base of a groove of channel that starts at the front of the cell. There are no specialised cilia in the groove, but there are 4 peniculi within the mouth. The body is evenly ciliated except at the posterior end where there is a tuft of longer cilia. Bodies are cylindrical or more truncated (foot-shaped). Body surface underlain with extrusomes (trichocysts). With a single large central macronucleus and one or more micronuclei. With two contractile vacuoles, in most species the contractile vacuoles have radiating collecting canals. One or two species have symbiotic green algae. Eat bacteria. Common and widespread in freshwater habitats. Traditional species distinguished by body shape and configuration of the nuclei � especially the micronuclei which may be single and large or small, vesiculate and more numerous. The Paramecium aurelia-group has been subdivided into such distinct genetic species by Sonneborn in 1975; other species groups are likely to be subdivided in the future. For animation of contractile vacuole complex, click on the image.

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Paramecium in other collections

Paramecium caudatum, from Freshwater and Terrestrial Microbes of Idaho (USA) and Elsewhere	Paramecium caudatum, from Freshwater and Terrestrial Microbes of Idaho (USA) and Elsewhere	Paramecium bursaria, from Freshwater and Terrestrial Microbes of Idaho (USA) and Elsewhere	Paramecium bursaria, from Freshwater and Terrestrial Microbes of Idaho (USA) and Elsewhere	Paramecium bursaria, from Freshwater and Terrestrial Microbes of Idaho (USA) and Elsewhere
Paramecium bursaria, from Freshwater and Terrestrial Microbes of Idaho (USA) and Elsewhere	Paramecium bursaria, from Freshwater and Terrestrial Microbes of Idaho (USA) and Elsewhere	Chilomonas paramecium, from Heterotrophic flagellates of marine habitats	Paramecium aurelia, from Protozoan biomonitors in China	Paramecium bursaria, from Protozoan biomonitors in China
Paramecium caudatum, from Protozoan biomonitors in China	Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Protozoan biomonitors in China	Paramecium putrinum, from Protozoan biomonitors in China	Paramecium, from Lake Donghu, China	Paramecium bursaria, from Cumloden, Massachusetts, USA
Paramecium aurelia, from Microbes of Mono Lake	Paramecium tetraurelia, from Images by Guy Brugerolle	Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Images of Richard Allen	Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Images of Richard Allen	Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Images of Richard Allen
Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Images of Richard Allen	Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Images of Richard Allen	Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Images of Richard Allen	Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Images of Richard Allen	Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Images of Richard Allen
Paramecium multimicronucleatum, from Images of Richard Allen	Paramecium caudatum, from Images of Richard Allen	Paramecium aurelia, from Protsville	Cryptomonas paramecium, from Protsville	Paramecium jenningsi, from Protsville
Paramecium jenningsi, from Protsville	Paramecium aurelia, from Protsville	Paramecium bursaria, from Protsville	Paramecium caudatum, from Protsville	Paramecium caudatum, from Protsville
Paramecium caudatum, from Protsville	Paramecium putrinum, from Protsville	Paramecium putrinum, from Protsville	Paramecium putrinum, from Protsville	Paramecium putrinum, from Protsville
Paramecium caudatum, from Protsville	Paramecium putrinum, from Micrographs of Paramecium putrinum	Paramecium putrinum, from Micrographs of Paramecium putrinum	Chilomonas paramecium, from Protsville drawings of freshwater protists	Paramecium caudatum, from Protsville drawings of freshwater protists
Paramecium putrinum, from Protsville drawings of freshwater protists	Paramecium bursaria, from Limnic and marine Protists of Northern Germany and the Alps	Paramecium aurelia, from Images from Schewiakoff, 1896	Paramecium caudatum, from Images from Schewiakoff, 1896	Paramecium bursaria, from Images from Schewiakoff, 1896
Paramecium putrinum, from Images from Schewiakoff, 1896	Paramecium bursaria, from Ciliates from Ehrenberg -- 1838	Paramecium aurelia, from Ciliates from Ehrenberg -- 1838	Paramecium aurelia, from Ciliates from Ehrenberg -- 1838	Paramecium aurelia, from Ciliates from Ehrenberg -- 1838
Paramecium aurelia, from Ciliates from Ehrenberg -- 1838	Paramecium caudatum, from Ciliates from Ehrenberg -- 1838	Paramecium caudatum, from Ciliates from Ehrenberg -- 1838	Paramecium caudatum, from Ciliates from Ehrenberg -- 1838	Chilomonas paramecium, from Athens, Georgia, USA
Paramecium caudatum, from Freshwater and Terrestrial Microbes of Idaho (USA) and Elsewhere	Chilomonas paramecium, from Athens, Georgia, USA	Paramecium bursaria, from Cumloden, Massachusetts, USA	Paramecium bursaria, from Symbioses and associations at Yellowstone	Paramecium bursaria, from Protsville
Paramecium bursaria, from Audley Bottom	Paramecium bursaria, from Athens, Georgia, USA	Paramecium caudatum, from Athens, Georgia, USA	Paramecium aurelia, from Katz laboratory, cultures and isolates	Paramecium aurelia, from Katz laboratory, cultures and isolates
Paramecium caudatum, from Athens, Georgia, USA	Paramecium bursaria, from Cumloden, Massachusetts, USA	Chilomonas paramecium, from Lake Toolik, Arctic Alaska	Paramecium aurelia, from Mr Remsens barrel	Paramecium caudatum, from Athens, Georgia, USA
Paramecium aurelia, from Mr Remsens barrel	Paramecium bursaria, from Cumloden, Massachusetts, USA	Paramecium, from Lake Donghu, China