Dorsal view

Description:

Chamydonella alpestris ( Foissner, 1979), a small hypostome ciliate. The body is strongly curved dorsally and flattened ventrally. Ciliature is limited to the ventral surface except for a small dorsal anterior tuft on the left (seen in this image). Kineties curve anterior to the cytostome on the right. More central kineties terminate at the cytostome. A flattened transverse Y-shaped kinety just anterior to the cytostome is considered distinctive. The circular oral aperture is supported by trichites. The single round macronucleus is located in the mid-body. There are two contractile vacuoles, one anterior and one posterior. From freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. DIC.