MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I've not seen this before, and I've not been able to identify it. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. It was found in an earth sample. Objective: 10x; illumination: brightfield then oblique; camera: Olympus E-P1.

Beats me, but could you tell us how you prepare earth samples? Sounds like good nerdy fun!

Very neat find! I think this is a Catenula, or maybe its close relative Dasyhormus. These are flatworms with a ciliated groove marking a distinct prostomium in front of the gut; the little round thing within is a statocyst, used in sensing gravity. I didn't realize there was anything like that to be seen in soil, though searching around at least gives some mentions in wet moss or soaked fields.

Many thanks and many apologies to Kurt, actinophrys, and everyone: in the interest of "simplification", I unintentionally misled you by giving the wrong impression of the source of the sample. I took it using a plastic pipette from the "earthy" water in the "saucer" under an indoor potted aloe plant, put a drop on a slide and applied a cover glass..
Thank you, actinphrys, for the identification and also for the interesting description. I wonder how "we" know that the round "thing" senses gravity. I searched Google Images for both of your suggestions, and both seem plausible to me although the folllowing link shows Catenula which appears to be very close. http://www.plingfactory.de/Science/Atla ... emnae.html.
Thanks again.

Can't add much to the ID discussion, but it is a very cool find, and from an inventive source too.

Nicely done.

Rod

very interesting little creature. i like the gyroscope it carries around and it's uninhibited nosiness. reminds of someone I know, only she has to roll up to things, rather than snoop through them, with skill.

Nice Oblique. Interesting beastie.

Really neat the way it moves its "nose" back and fourth like it's sniffing the air (water).

JimT wrote:Really neat the way it moves its "nose" back and fourth like it's sniffing the air (water).

I thought the same thing. very cool.

Stubbornly sticking upon a point, I've read about finding microbes in dirt, but never got after trying it for myself mostly 'cuz I never heard exactly how it is done or have the intuition to conjure up a way. Guess it shall remain a mystery for the time being, unless someone cares to chime in with experience on the subject...

Very good!... I really enjoyed this!... Thanks for sharing..

BillT

Rod, apochronaut, 75RR, JimT, glennbech, and BillT, thank you very much for all your nice comments.

Kurt, I know this is much more than you ever wanted to know (and maybe, after reading it, you'll regret what you asked for ), but here goes: we have an aloe potted plant near the kitchen window. I try not to clean the saucer that collects the excess water from the pot, so there is usually some water + soil + other stuff in it. I used a plastic pipette (1 or 2 mL capacity), to take out about 5 or 10 mL of the stuff from the bottom of the saucer and deposited into a small plastic cup (the kind that is included with liquid cough medicine), and I set the cup on the microscope table and let it settle for a few minutes. I then took a drop from the bottom of the cup and put it on a slide, placed a cover glass, and put it under the microscope. The drop contained quite a few nematodes, several annelid worms, some rotifers, and several of these worms that actinophrys kindly identified. Another "earth" source that I use and usually yields good results is a small pothole that happens to be in the backyard (at the end of the driveway: my guess is that it could have been made by a car going beyond the end of paved driveway during rainy weather). I collect water from the pothole after a day of heavy or prolonged rain exactly the same way, except I collect more water and put it in a clean glass baby food jar. Nothing more: no filtering, centrifugation, or anything fancy like that (although doing such "fancy" processing may or may not give better resuls, I don't know). I know this, whatever else I find (or don't find), nematodes are always present.

Hi Gekko

Try Catenula leptocephala

Rylander

Rylander wrote:Hi Gekko

Try Catenula leptocephala

Rylander

Many thanks, Rylander. Catenula is also what actinophrys suggested above.

Hi Gekko

Now you got a species name, the other was a genus name

Rylander

Rylander wrote:Hi Gekko

Now you got a species name, the other was a genus name

Rylander

True, thank you. I almost never tread at the species level (genus is more than I can cope with ) but thanks: always good to have more information.

hi Gekko

I am not master of biology, for nothing

Rylander

Rylander wrote:hi Gekko

I am not master of biology, for nothing

Rylander

Ha! Great to have helpful experts on the forum!