noticed this guy, somewhat teardrop shaped with prominent cilia around the bucal cavity. Any ideas?
http://office.shivs.org:5080/ciliate5.mp4
Ciliate identification
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Re: Ciliate identification
Blepharisma is a heterotrich, based on the meaning of the words I'm guessing that means uneven distribution of cilia. What then does hypotrich mean?
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Re: Ciliate identification
The word "heterotrich" refers to the two types of ciliary structures on these guys (not their uneven distribution). They have composite cilia (polykinetids) arranged in the form of "adoral membranelles", partially encircling the oral region; and they also have simple somatic cilia, uniformly distributed over the cell. A few years ago, I drew an image of Blepharisma for Wikipedia, which shows how the somatic cilia and the polykinetids/adoral zone membranelles are arranged: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... iagram.png
ETA: correction! I'd said earlier that "hypotrich" means "few hairs"....which I've always assumed was the case (on the model of words like "hypomania," or "hypothymia"). But I just checked that, and in fact I think the term refers to the fact that the hairs (cirri) are "beneath" the organism, on the ventral surface (there are often simple cilia on the dorsal side, but not thick, compound cirri). So: "hypo" (beneath, under) and "trichia" (hairs).
ETA: correction! I'd said earlier that "hypotrich" means "few hairs"....which I've always assumed was the case (on the model of words like "hypomania," or "hypothymia"). But I just checked that, and in fact I think the term refers to the fact that the hairs (cirri) are "beneath" the organism, on the ventral surface (there are often simple cilia on the dorsal side, but not thick, compound cirri). So: "hypo" (beneath, under) and "trichia" (hairs).
Re: Ciliate identification
Very interesting, I'm always in to etymologyBruce Taylor wrote: ↑Tue Mar 30, 2021 1:42 amThe word "heterotrich" refers to the two types of ciliary structures on these guys (not their uneven distribution). They have composite cilia (polykinetids) arranged in the form of "adoral membranelles", partially encircling the oral region; and they also have simple somatic cilia, uniformly distributed over the cell. A few years ago, I drew an image of Blepharisma for Wikipedia, which shows how the somatic cilia and the polykinetids/adoral zone membranelles are arranged: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... iagram.png
ETA: correction! I'd said earlier that "hypotrich" means "few hairs"....which I've always assumed was the case (on the model of words like "hypomania," or "hypothymia"). But I just checked that, and in fact I think the term refers to the fact that the hairs (cirri) are "beneath" the organism, on the ventral surface (there are often simple cilia on the dorsal side, but not thick, compound cirri). So: "hypo" (beneath, under) and "trichia" (hairs).