Coleps as a hunter

Coleps is a small ciliate covered with a hard cell wall almost like armor. When coleps finds feeble organisms, it attacks them forcefully, but here it is just swimming around lookiing for food.

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
This organism is Coleps hirtus.

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

Sampling Date : 03 July 2009

Sampling Site : Hirose River B  Google Map

Microscopic view of active organisms

Various organisms such as Coleps, Strobilidium , Euglena, Diatom, and some small flagellates can be seen. This is the world of active microorganisms, which cannot be recognized with naked eye.

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
(a) It is difficult to determine whether this organism is Strobilidium or Strombidium. Strobilidium

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

Strombidium

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

(b) Members of the Euglenid group have similar shapes, so they are also difficult to identify.

(c) The Coleps in this video is Coleps hirtus.

Sampling Date : 03 July 2009

Sampling Site : Hirose River B  Google Map

Coleps: a fierce hunter

A feeble ciliate is bitten by a Coleps. The poor ciliate desperately struggles to get away. However, the bite causes the inside particles to come out of the ciliate. These particles are eaten up one by one by other organisms. Finally Coleps and other ciliates attach themselves to the prey, and within a few seconds the last traces of the poor ciliate are consumes completely.

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
This interesting video needs no additional comments.

Sampling Date : 19 October 2009

Sampling Site : Hirose River A  Google Map

Conjugating ciliates attacked by Coleps

A pair of conjugating Oxytricha of different sizes are suddenly attacked by a Coleps. The smaller Oxitricha is bitten nearly in half, which causes the bonding pair to move their cilia intensively in a frantic effort to escape. Finally the pair separates, and the dwarf and the giant swim off in different directions.

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
This interesting video needs no additional comments.

Sampling Date : 20 October 2009

Sampling Site : Hirose River A  Google Map

Twins from a paddy field?

After being collected from a paddy field, the sample was put on 1% agar plate with a drop of distilled water and kept for two days. Two cells are connected, perhaps after dividing. As the organism moves quickly and unpredictably, thorough observation is impossible.

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
This organism may be Coleps in the process of division. After the division is completed , the two cells of Coleps remain connected for a while and continue to move around together. Prominent ectoplasmic plates normally cover the cell surface of Coleps, but immediately after cell division, the surface of the two daughter cells are partly without the plate. This characteristic of a temporarily missing plate can be seen at the very beginning of the video.

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

Sampling Date : 17 November 2006

Sampling Site : KASHIMADAI paddy field  Google Map