I have found this ciliate in hay infusion and do not know what it is. I expect it is quite common so I went through the pictures on Google and found some opaline ciliates as the most similar. But I really do not know. Does anyone know what it is? Sorry about the quality of the picture, it is taken by cell phone.
Might be Blepharisma sp? I'm not quite sure. Please have a look here: http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/courses/bio332/Labs/CiliateProject/blepharisma/bleph1web.html or here: http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/images/ciliophora/blepharisma/index.html.
Dear Jan and Gunther,
this is Stentor coeruleus, ciliate enough different in form, size and pigmentation. Species is the very widespread and normally can be find in alfa-mesosaprobic conditions. It play extremely large role in freshwater ecosystems as leading ciliate in energy transformation in ciliocoenoses. For Stentor even devoted special monographs... This species is polyphagous.
Andrey
Dear Andrey,
Never had thought that it could be Stentor. I never saw one with this proportions. But looking closely at the wider end it seems that you are right!
Guenther
Yeah Guenther,
some species of Blepharisma have Macronucleus the same type but absolutely different AZM - non-spiral so not sedimentation type. And blepharisma much smaller. Anyway I found differences in some eco-morphs of Stentor 3 times in size ( so 27 times in mass!!! - effect of the flood-plaine lakes). Biotopes are the same. As well some blepharisma have bright pigmentation. But in majority they are bacterio- and detrivorous species. Only smtm appear caniballistic forms!
Andrey
I do agree with Andrey. The colour might be slightly artificial but the AZM and size looks correct
Mirek Macek
Je to Stentor, Honzo.
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