portrait

Description:

Halteria (halt-tear-ee-a) grandinella. The somatic ciliature of this ciliate is very reduced. The body is globular or ellipsoidal. The posterior end often depressed. The oral apparatus consists of an almost circular zone of adoral membranelles. The macronucleus is ellipsoidal and located centrally. The contractile vacuole in the posterior third of the cell, located near the buccal cavity. The long bristles (jumping bristles) arise equatorially; these cause a jumping movement that is characteristic of the genus Halteria. Big jumps followed by periods of forward swimming in spirals. Common in the plankton of fresh water. This specimen was collected in the plankton of freshwater ponds near Konstanz, Germany. Differential interference contrast.