Prorodontidae

This ciliate from the Chesapeake Bay is a true omnivore having managed to ingest 3 pine pollen grains (the dark objects that resemble Mickey Mouse hats).

Herrera, Castille and Leon, Spain

Ovoid to cylindrical; ciliation uniform; oral basket made up of double trichites which end up deep in ectoplasm. Macronucleus ovoid, reniform or ellongate. Cell body 80-200 micron long.

Cuelgamuros, Madrid, Spain

Villar del Pedroso, Extremadura, Spain

Portrait (ventral surface) of Holophrya discolor (Ehrenberg,1833) a common prostome ciliate. Body shape variable from nearly spheroid to oblong. Some species with zoochlorellae. The oral aperture is an anterior apical or somewhat offset invagination (seen here). The cytopharynx is supported by fine trichites (not visible here). Ciliature is dense and holotrichous with three double rows of kinetids forming a "dorsal brush" extending posterior from the oral aperture about 1/3 the body length. There are some longer caudal cilia. The contractile vacuole is posterior. Holophrya sp. are distinguished from the very similar genus, Prorodon, by their spherical or ellipsoid macronuclei. Prorodon sp. typically have sausage shaped or ribbon-shaped macronuclei. Omnivorous. From organically enriched freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. DIC optics.

Portrait(dorsal surface) of Holophrya discolor (Ehrenberg,1833),a common prostome ciliate. Body shape variable from nearly spheroid to oblong. Some species with zoochlorellae. The oral aperture is an anterior apical or somewhat offset invagination. The cytopharynx is supported by fine trichites (not visible here). Ciliature is dense and holotrichous with three double rows of kinetids forming a "dorsal brush" extending posterior from the oral aperture about 1/3 the body length (seen in this image). There are some longer caudal cilia. The contractile vacuole is posterior. Holophrya sp. are distinguished from the very similar genus, Prorodon, by their spherical or ellipsoid macronuclei. Prorodon sp. typically have sausage shaped or ribbon-shaped macronuclei. Omnivorous. From organically enriched freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. DIC optics.

Portrait (optical coronal section) of Holophrya discolor (Ehrenberg,1833), a common prostome ciliate. Body shape variable from nearly spheroid to oblong. Some species with zoochlorellae. The oral aperture is an anterior apical or somewhat offset invagination. The cytopharynx is supported by fine trichites (seen here). Ciliature is dense and holotrichous with three double rows of kinetids forming a "dorsal brush" extending posterior from the oral aperture about 1/3 the body length. There are some longer caudal cilia. The spherical macronucleus located in the mid-body has a characteristic large nucleolus. The micronucleus is attached to the right posterior of the macronucleus in this image. Small peripheral mucocysts are present. The contractile vacuole is posterior. Numerous food vacuoles are seen. Holophrya sp. are distinguished from the very similar genus, Prorodon, by their spherical or ellipsoid macronuclei. Prorodon sp. typically have sausage shaped or ribbon-shaped macronuclei. Omnivorous. From organically enriched freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. DIC optics.

Infraciliature of the prostome ciliate Holophrya discolor (Ehrenberg,1833). Densely stained nematodesmata ring the anterior apical cytostome.The dorsal brush of the "enklitoloph dexiotrop" type is seen anteriorly to the viewer's right (See: Hiller, S. and Bardele, C. Arch. Protistenk. 136:213-236, 1988). Collected from a freshwater aquaculture tub near Boise, Idaho.August 2004. Stained byt the silver carbonate technique (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol., 27:313-330;1991).Brightfield.

Anterolateral view of Holophrya discolor (Ehrenberg,1833)showing the elliptical anterior apical cytostome.DIC.

a -- Anus al -- Pellicular alveoli cv -- Contractile vacuole ft -- Fat droplets N -- Macronucleus ncl -- Micronucleus nk -- Food particle o -- Mouth oe-- Throat p -- Pellicle pe -- Excretory pore of the contractile vacuole st -- Cytopharyngeal basket  

Key to Schewiakoff's abbreviations:  al -- Pellicular alveoli cl -- Cilia k -- Plasmatic collar of the rod apparatus Mf -- Buccal are o -- Mouth st -- Cytopharyngeal basket

The anterior is upper left. The sark sausage-like structure in the cell is the macronucleus and two associated micronuclei are also visible. The posterior structure is the contractile vacuole. The body is evenly coated with cilia. Phase contrast microscopy.

The mouth of this ciliate lies at the apex of the cell. It is underlain with long extrusomes that are used in the capture and ingestion of food - Protodon may eat detritus or other protozoa. The granular structure inside the cell is the macronucleus. Differential interference contrast optics.

Differential interference contrast image. Mouth an the anterior end (top), elements of the contractile vacuole complex at the posterior end.