Ventral infraciliature

Description:

Infraciliature (ventral side) of the medium-size pigmented heterotrich ciliate, Blepharisma lateritium (Ehrenberg,1831; Stein, 1859). The cell is teardrop-shaped and pale pink in color.Green endosymbiotic zoochlorellae are visible in the cytoplasm.A zoochlorellae-bearing Blepharisma species otherwise indistinguishable from B. lateritium was reported from freshwater in Iowa (Johnson,L.P.A symbiotic Blepharisma.Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci. 55:391-393,1948). The peristome extends about 2/3 the cell length along the left side. The peristome is bordered on the left by serial polykinetids forming an adoral zone of membranelles and on the right by a narrow undulating membrane. The longitudinal somatic kineties bend to the left margin on the dorsal surface. The single ellipsoid to spherical macronucleus is located left of midline in the cell center. There are multiple very small micronuclei which are difficult to discern in vivo. These become swollen and densely stained in silver impregnated specimens (seen here). Stained by silver carbonate techniique (see Foissner, W.Europ. J. Protistol.27,313-330;1991). Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho October 2004. Brightfield optics.