New to me

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gekko
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New to me

#1 Post by gekko » Thu May 05, 2016 1:03 am

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.


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KurtM
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Re: New to me

#2 Post by KurtM » Thu May 05, 2016 4:02 am

Beats me, but could you tell us how you prepare earth samples? Sounds like good nerdy fun! :geek: 8-)
Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas
email: ngc704(at)gmail(dot)com
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actinophrys
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Re: New to me

#3 Post by actinophrys » Thu May 05, 2016 4:50 am

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.

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gekko
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Re: New to me

#4 Post by gekko » Thu May 05, 2016 10:34 am

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.

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rnabholz
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Re: New to me

#5 Post by rnabholz » Thu May 05, 2016 12:03 pm

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

Nicely done.

Rod

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Re: New to me

#6 Post by apochronaut » Thu May 05, 2016 1:49 pm

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.

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75RR
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Re: New to me

#7 Post by 75RR » Thu May 05, 2016 1:56 pm

Nice Oblique. Interesting beastie.
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)

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Re: New to me

#8 Post by JimT » Thu May 05, 2016 2:04 pm

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

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Re: New to me

#9 Post by glennbech » Thu May 05, 2016 8:07 pm

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. :)

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KurtM
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Re: New to me

#10 Post by KurtM » Fri May 06, 2016 3:34 am

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...
Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas
email: ngc704(at)gmail(dot)com
https://www.flickr.com/photos/67904872@ ... 912223623/

billbillt
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Re: New to me

#11 Post by billbillt » Fri May 06, 2016 6:38 am

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

BillT

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gekko
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Re: New to me

#12 Post by gekko » Fri May 06, 2016 10:27 am

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.

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Re: New to me

#13 Post by Rylander » Mon May 09, 2016 4:38 pm

Hi Gekko

Try Catenula leptocephala

Rylander

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gekko
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Re: New to me

#14 Post by gekko » Mon May 09, 2016 6:59 pm

Rylander wrote:Hi Gekko

Try Catenula leptocephala

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

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Re: New to me

#15 Post by Rylander » Mon May 09, 2016 8:08 pm

Hi Gekko

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

Rylander

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gekko
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Re: New to me

#16 Post by gekko » Mon May 09, 2016 8:19 pm

Rylander wrote:Hi Gekko

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

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.

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Re: New to me

#17 Post by Rylander » Mon May 09, 2016 9:00 pm

hi Gekko

I am not master of biology, for nothing :mrgreen: :geek:

Rylander

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gekko
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Re: New to me

#18 Post by gekko » Mon May 09, 2016 11:50 pm

Rylander wrote:hi Gekko

I am not master of biology, for nothing :mrgreen: :geek:

Rylander
Ha! Great to have helpful experts on the forum!

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