A beautifully colored ciliate

[NachoBen]

This is a freshwater ciliate, very beautiful because of the digestive vacuoles of different colors. However, these colorless, yellow and orange vacuoles (various stages of digestion of different substances, I suppose) make it impossible to recognize other details, such as the macronucleus.



Sometimes the mouth is reminiscent of Homalozoon or Enchelyodon, which are more elongated than my critter. Other times, the general shape could be reminiscent of Amphileptus claparedei, although my critter is more squat. And, from the way it moves and its flexibility, it could resemble Holophrya.

I feel like it's an old acquaintance but it's frustrating not being able to pinpoint it for sure.

Somebody help me please? Thank you!

[Sure Squintsalot]

A weird, rotating glass potato!

[Bruce Taylor]

It has a long oral bulge, so is certainly not Enchelyodon or Holophrya, and is the wrong shape for Homalozoon. Apoamphileptus claparedii (=Amphileptus claparedii, often misspelled A. claparedei) is a species with multiple contractile vacuoles, so that can be ruled out as well (the illustration in Streble & Krauter is misleading). Your creature has a single CV in the posterior, and it is somewhat larger than would be expected in an Amphileptus (pleurostomatids tend to be quite flat, in any case).

I would suspect something in Spathidiida, such as Arcuospathidium or Cultellothrix, but I don't think we see enough detail for a reliable identification.

[NachoBen]

Thanks a lot Bruce!

I'll follow the clues you gave me as far as I can.

It is a pity that I have not met this nice microorganism again.