Vorticella Anatomy

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Chainsaw_DNA
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 6:26 am

Vorticella Anatomy

#1 Post by Chainsaw_DNA » Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:21 am

I'm trying to identify elements of a Vorticella anatomy, but I am puzzled by the 2 round, dark features in this video snapshot.

They float around the entire cytoplasm and I counted up to 4 of them, as shown in the second screenshot.
For lack of a better term, they appear to have the texture of a raisin. Quite different than the other food vacuoles.

Would anyone know how to identify these round dark features?

Thanks!

Bruce Taylor
Posts: 986
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 11:34 am

Re: Vorticella Anatomy

#2 Post by Bruce Taylor » Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:42 pm

It looks like ingested matter (food). The more transparent food vacuoles just happen to contain smaller particles.

Since this is "Identification help," can you be sure it is not Pseudovorticella? ;) From these images, I can't tell.

Chainsaw_DNA
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 6:26 am

Re: Vorticella Anatomy

#3 Post by Chainsaw_DNA » Sat Apr 03, 2021 4:12 pm

Bruce Taylor wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:42 pm
It looks like ingested matter (food). The more transparent food vacuoles just happen to contain smaller particles.

Since this is "Identification help," can you be sure it is not Pseudovorticella? ;) From these images, I can't tell.
Being brand-new to the hobby, I appreciate the question, which was an opportunity to look a little deeper.
From what I learned, this snippet from the video should help.


"Several peritrich genera contain more than 50 nominal species, for instance, Vorticella and Epistylis. A first split of the former into Vorticella (silverlines in trans-verse rings) and Pseudovorticella (silverline pattern reticulate) was performed by Foissner and Schiffmann (1974), and has been widely accepted (Warren 1987, Song et al. 2009)"
http://www.wfoissner.at/data_prot/Foiss ... 91-319.pdf

So it looks like we are looking at a Vorticella?

Bruce Taylor
Posts: 986
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 11:34 am

Re: Vorticella Anatomy

#4 Post by Bruce Taylor » Sun Apr 04, 2021 4:50 pm

Yes, nicely done! The reticulate silverlines in Pseudovorticella can be extremely faint, but I do think you've resolved the pellicle well enough for a casual identification to Vorticella. :)

Chainsaw_DNA
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 6:26 am

Re: Vorticella Anatomy

#5 Post by Chainsaw_DNA » Sun Apr 04, 2021 8:30 pm

Thanks. Now I'll need to find a bonafide pseudovorticella!

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