A stylonchia

[Pat Thielen]

This is one of the very first photos I took when I got my microscope awhile ago. I didn't think much of it at the time, but on a second viewing it really doesn't seem all that bad after all. What I like about the photo is it is a sideways view of the little guy as he goes scampering about looking for food like a microscopic cockroach. This is one of the reasons I like them so much. They also seem to be quite common in the ponds around here.

I call them Stylonchia because that's what they were called when I first found them back in high school. I believe they have a new name now, but I can't recall what that is. And because this photo was taken so long ago I don't really remember the stats -- I believe it was taken using bright field at 200x magnification (20 / 0.45 Plan objective). It was also cropped in a bit as well (I noted that on the filename). As usual, let me know what you think of it.

[JimT]

Far as I know they are still called Stylonchia and they are fun to watch from the side crawling along.

[actinophrys]

There are many different ciliates that crawl with cirri in the spirotrich class. Stylonychia is still a legitimate type, but they and their closer relatives are not nearly so compact. I think this is probably Euplotes, which are generally more oval and often have grooves; for freshwater kinds they are unusual in having membranelles running most of the cell's length. Both are some of the oldest named ciliates.

[Pat Thielen]

There are many different ciliates that crawl with cirri in the spirotrich class. Stylonychia is still a legitimate type, but they and their closer relatives are not nearly so compact. I think this is probably Euplotes, which are generally more oval and often have grooves; for freshwater kinds they are unusual in having membranelles running most of the cell's length. Both are some of the oldest named ciliates.

Thanks! This is very helpful. And, it would appear, that I can't spell Stylonychia. They are really fun to watch; if I'm lucky I may be able to shoot some video of them some day soon. I'll need to wait for the ponds to thaw out first.

[Bruce Taylor]

Cute bug. As Josh said, definitely Euplotes.

As for Stylonychia having a "new name," the genus did lose a couple of old and well-known species, notably Stylonychia vorax and the very common Stylonychia pustulata. Both have been moved to the genus Tetmemena, and a few others will probably be moved there as well (S. putrina, S. notophora and others).

[clengman]

Thanks! This is very helpful. And, it would appear, that I can't spell Stylonychia. They are really fun to watch; if I'm lucky I may be able to shoot some video of them some day soon. I'll need to wait for the ponds to thaw out first.

They definitely are fun to watch! I saw a couple (maybe not the same species, but a similar crawling ciliate) in a lichen and moss sample I collected several days ago. One seemed like it had a sort of burrow in a clump of lichen. It was like unicellular Punxsy Phil.

[Jonnyvine]

Ok