I found this in a sample of rainwater and debris from my roof gutter.
At first I thought "another vorticella" but made a short recording of it because of its interesting mouth(?) movement and, focusing high and low, I could not find any stalk, so thought it might be a free-swimming stage.
Since then I have had a look in "Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa." Patterson and found Rhabdostyla to be a possibility.
[ Some sites say Rhabidostyla can be similar to Orborhabdostyla, Apiosoma, Scyphidia, but I get a bit lost ! ]
I cant decide if the mouth(?) is on the upper surface or am I looking through the top surface into the inside ?
Quote, Patterson:-
*120
A Species wilhout a lorica, they attach to the substrate by a stalk. ---- GOT0 121
B Species with a lorica, and/or species wlthout a stalk. ----- GOT0126
*126
A Without a lorica. The cell attaches directly to the substrate with its narrowed posterior end. There is no stalk or the stalk is indistinct. Cells 20-100um long. Fig . 237 ---- RHABDOSTYLA
*125
A With a contractile stalk. Length of cell varies from species to species; most are between 20 and
200um, most commonly 40-80um Figs 232-236 VORTICELLA
60x achromat to Canon aps-c
Rhabdostyla perhaps ?
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Re: Rhabdostyla perhaps ?
Rhabdostyla resembles a short-stalked Epistylis. It is attached to the substrate by a short stalk and has a zooid with a peristomial lip (the same goes for Orborhabdostyla, which differs in having a discoidal macronucleus. Scyphidia and Apiosoma are attached directly to the substrate by a "scopula" (an attachment organelle on the bottom of the cell). We don't really see how this peritrich is (or was) attached to the substrate. We don't see a stalk, but we also don't see a scopular attachment point. My suspicion (based on the overall appearance of the cell) is that this is a stalked peritrich, but this individual has been dislodged from its stalk. Since we don't have information about its normal method of attachment, we can't identify it below order Sessilida.
Re: Rhabdostyla perhaps ?
Thanks Bruce for the interesting, great, info and for your time,
very much appreciated by this beginner !