portrait of couple
Ciliophrys (silly-off-rees), a pedinellid stramenopile, with a single flagellum. The cell may exist as a non-swimming form with radiating arms, and with the flagellum inactive or beating in a languid figure of 8 motion. The arms can be resorbed, and the cell can then swim with the flagellum pulling the cell forward. This is the heliozoon form, with a nucleus in the centre of the cell. Phase contrast. This picture was taken by David Patterson and Mark Farmer of material from freshwater sites in the vicinity of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, USA) in April, 2001 and from collections of organisms maintained at the University. Image copyright: D. J. Patterson and Mark Farmer, image used under license to MBL (micro*scope).
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Ciliophrys infusionum
From the collection
Athens, Georgia, USA
| Description of Ciliophrys infusionum: Ciliophrys, in the heliozoan stage the cells are about 4 - 9 microns across, and have a central nucleus and one flagellum held in a figure of eight. The cells are spherical with delicate pseudopodia extending radially from the body and bearing extrusomes. The cells may change from the heliozoan stage with pseudopodia and a slow beating flagellum to a swimming flagellate without pseudopodia and with the flagellum beating rapidly. In swimming cells, the nucleus is located apically. Observed to consume suspended bacteria. When feeding, bacteria adhere to the pseudopodia and then are drawn to the body. The cells eat diatoms up to 18 microns long. |
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