The rotifer Collotheca

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tlansing
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The rotifer Collotheca

#1 Post by tlansing » Wed Aug 03, 2022 8:43 pm

I made some collections today at my favorite pond and was delighted to see the beautiful rotifer Collotheca. This is an interesting rotifer because instead of having moving cilia around the corona, this rotifer has long setae, as seen in the photos below. These setae are used to move prey organisms into the mouth or vestibulum. The first photo shows a contracted Collotheca and the setae extended. The second and third photos show Collotheca individuals (these may be different species) with their coronas unfurled and the setae extended for feeding.
Collotheca-1.jpg
Collotheca-1.jpg (64.8 KiB) Viewed 1390 times
Collotheca-2.jpg
Collotheca-2.jpg (59.25 KiB) Viewed 1390 times
Collotheca-3.jpg
Collotheca-3.jpg (72.3 KiB) Viewed 1390 times
These photos were taken using a Canon 1300D camera with an Amscope adapter. The microscope was a Zeiss Photomicroscope III equipped with a 40x Neofluar objective, the optovar set at 1.25x, and flash.

Finally, here is a video of the Collotheca feeding on some small green flagellates. It is interesting to watch this rotifer as it "decides" whether the prey in the vestibulum is what it wants to eat. Once the decision is made, the prey seems to be quickly shunted into the mastax where the food is processed. The ability of the rotifer to contract and then re-extend is also shown. The change in magnification in this video is from changing the optovar from 1.25 to 1.6 and 2x.

Javier
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Re: The rotifer Collotheca

#2 Post by Javier » Wed Aug 03, 2022 9:13 pm

That is one impressive and beautiful specimen. Thanks for the additional information, I found it very interesting.

DonSchaeffer
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Re: The rotifer Collotheca

#3 Post by DonSchaeffer » Wed Aug 03, 2022 9:31 pm

Masterful images.

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KurtM
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Re: The rotifer Collotheca

#4 Post by KurtM » Thu Aug 04, 2022 12:58 am

Very cool indeed! I have yet to come across one of these myself, so I'm officially envious. :mrgreen:
Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas
email: ngc704(at)gmail(dot)com
https://www.flickr.com/photos/67904872@ ... 912223623/

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ImperatorRex
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Re: The rotifer Collotheca

#5 Post by ImperatorRex » Thu Aug 04, 2022 5:48 am

Thank you tlansing. This rotifer is really majestic.

tlansing
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Re: The rotifer Collotheca

#6 Post by tlansing » Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:44 am

Javier, Don, Kurt and Jochen: Thanks for your kind comments. This really is a beautiful and interesting critter!

Tim

MicroscopyUniverse
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Re: The rotifer Collotheca

#7 Post by MicroscopyUniverse » Thu Aug 04, 2022 6:28 pm

Really impressive images :shock: :shock:

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