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Mucilaginous colonies of Ophrydium versatile.
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Ophrydium versatile
From the collection
Ciliates from Ehrenberg -- 1838
| Description of Ophrydium versatile: Colonial peritrich ciliate, congregating in large mucilaginous masses, either free-floating or attached to a fixed substrate. Individuals 400-600 micrometres long (smaller when immature); colonies up to 15 cm (rarely less than 1 cm), linked together by delicate dichotomously branching filaments, secreted by an organelle (scopula) on the posterior pole of the zooid. Individual body shape extremely variable: typically slender, flask-shaped in extension, with pointed posterior; ovate or nearly spherical when contracted. Abundant zoochlorellae give the cell a vivid green color. Pellicle finely annulated. Peristome with slightly thickened lip and raised peristomial disk. No ciliation behind the peristome, apart from the locomotor fringe or posterior ciliary wreath which appears during the telotroch phase. Rapidly contractile, but slow to reach full extension; movements otherwise sluggish. Colonies may enclose a large gas bubble, enabling the group to drift near the surface. Freshwater, widely distributed in Europe, rarely reported in North America.
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Ophrydium versatile in this collection |
Ophrydium versatile in other collections |
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