Rotifier - Phase contrast

[ImperatorRex]

The good old phase contrast ...



I now recognize some illumination probs - some "stribes" in the background. Hope you still like the photo.

[billbillt]

Yes, it is very good... DIC works wonders..

BillT

[mrsonchus]

Very nice image. There are some very fine details in there - very interesting to explore an image like this one.

Thanks for posting.

John B.

[charlie g]

Beautiful and gracefully elegant organism you encountered here. Thanks for this image. It is interesting to my eyes how the 'fascicles of tentacles', and the stalk this organism is manifesting...well there are protozoans, suctorian species with a quite similar body plan.

Thanks for sharing this organism with us, ImperatorR. Charlie guevara

[Hobbyst46]

It looks a very good phase contrast image to me! I wonder how you caught it at standstill like that, those restless creatures with cilia (is that the correct term?)
Incidentally, what are "stribes"?

[ImperatorRex]

Thank you all for your encouraging feedback.

It looks a very good phase contrast image to me! I wonder how you caught it at standstill like that, those restless creatures with cilia (is that the correct term?)
Incidentally, what are "stribes"?

I recognize that the background of the image is not homogeneous. It has some horizontal stripes. Actually this species does not move so much, had quite some time to focus.

[desertrat]

Another great image! Phase equipment I do have, so that gives me something to strive for.

Could I ask, what power objective did you use, and what phase system did you use (eg. bright phase, dark phase, or something in between)?

[75RR]

Great image and great catch.
Glad someone is standing up for phase!
Phase as they say is phun.

[KurtM]

Another phase contrast fan here, saying it is a perfectly lovely image! Especially since I've never yet encountered this species myself, despite having been in microscopy as a hobby for decades. I'd be interested in hearing details of your system too.

[MicroBob]

Hi Jochen,

nice image! It is interesting to see that the cilia are that long compared to the size of the body. Try swinging one fishing rod of 5m length at this speed, not to talk of 100 fishing rods. It's sometimes difficult to understand that we are such a successful species.

Bob

[apochronaut]

Probably a suctorian and not a peritrich, so something like an Ephelota or Periacineta.

[ImperatorRex]

Could I ask, what power objective did you use, and what phase system did you use (eg. bright phase, dark phase, or something in between)?

It was the Carl Zeiss Phase contrast using the Planachro 16/0,35 with the PH2 orifice. Was somehow surprised not to get much halos. As always I used my IM35 with the larger cover slides. But to be honest I hardly ever use the Phase Contrast technique, somehow it is so convenient to use the DIC.

The photo was done in 2015...but what a coincidense: Yesterday I found this rotifier again. I got the water sample from a Koi/fish pond. So I made a small video that I also would like to share later.

I am also very attrackted by this rotifier with his crown of large cilia, always so fascinating if they contract those so rapidly.