Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

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NachoBen
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Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

#1 Post by NachoBen » Wed Sep 28, 2022 7:31 am

Any help to identify this ciliate will be deeply appreciated!

Video shot with a Xiaomi Note9 phone at 40x10 magnification:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19HzryS ... sp=sharing

Thank you very much indeed!

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WWWW
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Re: Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

#2 Post by WWWW » Wed Sep 28, 2022 9:29 am

Hello,

It appear to be a very big file > 400 Mb.

Maybe you can compress it or post some photos.

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NachoBen
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Re: Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

#3 Post by NachoBen » Wed Sep 28, 2022 9:43 am

Thanks for your advice.

Here is a screenshot from the video:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W67Wvn ... sp=sharing

And here the video itself at Youtube:

https://youtu.be/Cp4C6ATBU98

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NachoBen
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Re: Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

#4 Post by NachoBen » Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:11 am

Probably Conchophthirus elongatus (Ghosh, 1918) as seen in Alfred Kahl´s book "Urtiere oder Protozoa I: Wimpertiere oder Ciliata" (1931, pages 278 (table) and 288 (description)).

https://archive.org/details/1931AlfredK ... 9/mode/2up

Bruce Taylor
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Re: Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

#5 Post by Bruce Taylor » Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:45 pm

I can see why you're thinking of Conchophthirus. However, members of that genus are endocommensals in the mantle cavity of bivalve molluscs, and do not have zoochlorellae. :) C. elongatus was originally found in Lamellidens marginalis, a freshwater mussel endemic to Asia. I don't know if it has been reported, outside the tropics.

I suspect this is a damaged or malformed individual. Were there others in the same water?

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Re: Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

#6 Post by Dennis » Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:59 pm

Nacho Ben,

That is a great book in the illustrations. I downloaded the PDF. But sad it's German or something and not in English.
Looks like the names are the same.

Reminds me that here at the forum the better people can explain the identifications the more I do not know what they are saying.
I should buy a book and get some general terms. Like say if a fish was being discussed I know those terms-
The scales, fins, gills, etc.

Anyhow, What is a zoochlorellae?

-Dennis

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Re: Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

#7 Post by Bruce Taylor » Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:08 pm

Dennis wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:59 pm
Anyhow, What is a zoochlorellae?
Zoochlorellae are endosymbiont algae (mostly of the genus Chlorella) that live inside some ciliate cells. The relationship is mutualistic. They offer nutrients to the ciliate, and the ciliate offers a safe environment for the algae (protection from predators, etc.). As noted above, conchophthirids don't have them. ;)

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Re: Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

#8 Post by Dennis » Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:49 pm

When that thing turns a certain way it looks like a Paramecium for a second.
Maybe it is a Paramecium that got smashed by the cover glass maybe.
Course I guess many similar ones. Looks like it was injured.
-Dennis

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Re: Help needed - Ciliate with zoochlorellae

#9 Post by NachoBen » Fri Sep 30, 2022 6:43 am

Thank you, Bruce, you are right again.

There were many other individuals in that sample and some other samples from the same pond from different days.

Mystery remains...


Bruce Taylor wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:45 pm
I can see why you're thinking of Conchophthirus. However, members of that genus are endocommensals in the mantle cavity of bivalve molluscs, and do not have zoochlorellae. :) C. elongatus was originally found in Lamellidens marginalis, a freshwater mussel endemic to Asia. I don't know if it has been reported, outside the tropics.

I suspect this is a damaged or malformed individual. Were there others in the same water?

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