A flatworm?

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Aenima
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A flatworm?

#1 Post by Aenima » Mon Jun 25, 2018 11:48 pm

Having trouble identifying this myself - i first thought it was a large rotifer but immediately realised it lacked almost every feature - including the 'wheels' - then i though it might be a cilliate but it seems too large again, plus it has an extremely fluid shape and once the water on the slide started to dry up and coverslip tightened it transformed itself into a circular blob of jelly that seemed to swirl. Staying in the blob shape indefinitely, until i refreshed the slide's water, in which case it resumed its longer 'flatworm' shape and went about its business.
https://youtu.be/U80WV_wQjpU
It attracted my attention just by its strange shape and movements, at times almost as though it was warped by one of those fairground mirrors. I thought at first my eyes had gone funny.

Until the water starts to run out it is a very fast swimmer.


From my web searches i am inclined to think it might be a turbellarian flatworm, although it doesn't seem to have eyeholes - so it's back to the drawing board. :p

I found three of them in a moss and rainwater sample - the rainwater supply had midge larva and other insects in it, as well as dead leaves and mud. https://youtu.be/jvxNWCNJOEw
Part of my problem is not knowing where to start, or how to narrow down the possibilities when searching online.


Thanks for any info.
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Bruce Taylor
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Re: A flatworm?

#2 Post by Bruce Taylor » Tue Jun 26, 2018 12:50 am

Yes, it's a flatworm. There is no mistaking that style of movement, and the subcentral mouth & pharynx (the puckered disk near the middle of the organism). :) I'm not a flatworm guy, but this seems to be a typhloplanid. Some genera (such as Castrada) lack eyes, and others (such as Mesostoma) have eyes that are quite inconspicuous.

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Aenima
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Re: A flatworm?

#3 Post by Aenima » Tue Jun 26, 2018 11:29 am

That's a big help, Bruce, thank you. :)

I had hit a wall with Google, using vague descriptions - and the lack of eyespots was a confusing obstacle. Wasn't even sure it was a flatworm in the first place - so i can at least narrow things down quite a lot now. :)

In the same water sample i found one other thing that i'd never seen before, i wondered if it was related in some way.
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fibreoptix
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Re: A flatworm?

#4 Post by fibreoptix » Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:04 am

Really nice shots. Is that DIC?

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Aenima
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Re: A flatworm?

#5 Post by Aenima » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:19 pm

fibreoptix wrote:Really nice shots. Is that DIC?
thank u fibreoptix - i do wish it was DIC, but unfortunately no - it's the gradient universal filter mentioned elsewhere on the forum ( i think searching "GUF" will bring it up) :)

It does seem to resemble the DIC effect in some ways, but i'm not always getting the same sharpness or resolution (i could easily be using it wrong! haha) - i should bear in mind the GUF is practically free to make and easy to use - so in that respect it's a fantastic invention. I get the best results with a 10x objective, and the creatures that fit that FOV.

Regards

Jay

GaryB
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Re: A flatworm?

#6 Post by GaryB » Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:32 pm

You certainly have some cool goobers there, and the pictures are great. Nicely done!

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Aenima
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Re: A flatworm?

#7 Post by Aenima » Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:17 pm

GaryB wrote:You certainly have some cool goobers there, and the pictures are great. Nicely done!
Thanks GaryB :)

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NachoBen
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Re: A flatworm?

#8 Post by NachoBen » Tue Nov 15, 2022 12:14 pm

This seems to be an egg of a dipteran insect.
Aenima wrote:
Tue Jun 26, 2018 11:29 am
In the same water sample i found one other thing that i'd never seen before, i wondered if it was related in some way.
unknownweb2.jpg

Dennis
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Location: New Jersey, USA

Re: A flatworm?

#9 Post by Dennis » Tue Nov 15, 2022 1:20 pm

Aenima,
Great job with that GUF filter. It sure looks like DIC.
Also good flat worm info with some have eyes and some do not.
Maybe some time post showing your filter. I have no luck with any filters.
One I have a green or blue dot and changes the background color but not real great I guess.

Oh.... I did not notice this is an old post from 2018 !!!!!!!!!!!!

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