ID please

[75RR]

16x, about 225µm, Darkfield, 9 image stack in Photoshop.
Have seen these before. Mostly colourless, this one had a golden tinge.
Never got a good photo of them, this one not right either.
Decided to put it up in hopes of an ID.



Here is another one taken with a blue filter a while back. Did not record size but seem to remember they are all about the same, no great difference anyway. Does seem to have longer and thinner appendages though.

[Peter]

Hi 75RR,
Did it seem soft (floppy), or solid (rigid)? If solid it may be a very complex sponge spicule.
Peter.

[75RR]

Hi Peter,
after looking at images of sponge spicules I would have to say soft.

[actinophrys]

For identifying unknowns like this it's often helpful to know where they were found. There are some plants with trichomes that look very similar, for instance shown here or here, if some might reasonably be in your sample.

[75RR]

Thanks Actinophrys,
I think you got it.

Good point about location + details. It is a reservoir about an hour and a half from where I live.
Have been there before, tend to drop in when I pass by. Dipped 3 jars at waters edge.
One from the surface, one half way and one scraped from the bottom.
Should label things better. It is one of the first two. Both have plenty of algae in them.

http://itouchmap.com/?c=ve&UF=-960712&U ... 569&DG=RSV

[Oliver]

These structures look like plant trichomes:
http://www.denniskunkel.com/DK/Plants/97999A.html

Scroll down to the middle:
http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=163054

Oliver

[gekko]

Never got a good photo of them, this one not right either.

To my eyes, they are lovely images .