atrium of mouth
Opening to oral region at the anterior end of Coleps hirtus. Corrugated lips containing lamellae (l) surround the atrium. The oral region is bordered by cilia. Rods extend inward (see Figs. 12 and 13) from these cilia. Toxicysts and mucocysts lie in the cytosol. An algal cell, enclosed in a smooth membrane is also present. EM taken on 3/24/69 by R. Allen with Philips 300 TEM. Neg. 14,800X. Bar = 0.5µm. This image is available in Richard Allen's collection.
Image copyright Richard Allen, image used by permission.
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Coleps hirtus
From the collection
Images of Richard Allen
| Description of Coleps hirtus: Scavenging ciliate, about 40-65 x 18-35 microns. Body covered in calcified armoured plates, usually barrel-shaped, rarely cylindrical. Armour consists of 6 plate rings (from anterior): circumoral plates, anterior collateral and main plates, posterior main and collateral plates, and circumanal plates. Each ring composed of 12-20, usually 15 or 16 plates. Collateral armour plates each with 2, main plates each with 4 windows, in total thus 12 windows per plate row and the windows are pretzel shaped, ridge at left plate margin finely crenellated, teeth of right plate margin alternately arranged to windows. One large spine at an anterior collateral plate and three or four prominent spines at rear end. Macronucleus globular, near mid-body. Contractile vacuole in posterior end. Extrusomes (toxicysts) difficult to recognize in living cells. Cells, especially armour, usually brown. No symbiotic green algae. 12-20, usually l5 or 16 meridional ciliary rows, each with four condensed cilia (pectinelles) at anterior end; cilia project from small, fusiform orifices between armour plates. One distinctly elongated caudal cilium. Oral opening at anterior end of cell, oral basket inconspicuous. Undulating membrane circular, composed of paired basal bodies, interrupted by three tiny adoral organelles. Movement without peculiarities, swims moderately rapidly. |
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