Large ciliate foraging

A large slendar ciliate is foraging busily between particles. In this top view, we can see cilia and cirri around its mouth and rear end.

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
This organism may be Paraurostyla.

http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Im.....

http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Im.....

Compared to Urostyla, the body is narrower in the front and smaller overall.

There are many species in this genus, and it is difficult to determine which one appears in this video. To identify the exact species, it is necessary to examine the arrangement of the cirra by fixing and staining. This method called protagol stain, involves a series of complicated steps that require skill and experience.

Sampling Date : 02 July 2009

Sampling Site : Hirose River A  Google Map