A tiny helizoa

After being collected from a paddy field, the sample was put on 1% agar plate with a drop of distilled water and kept for a few days.

A tiny Helizoa slowly moves around aggregates. It seems to be weak and defenceless, but this environment may not be particularly dangerous.

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
The organism moves behind the aggregates is certainly a ciliate but we cannot be sure which type it is.

A round transparent organism to the right was difficult to identify at first, but when the video is enlarged we can observe radial axopods surrounding the cell. Therefore the organism may belong to helizoa group. Since a gel-like substance covers the cell surface, it might belong to genus Pompholyxophrys rather than genus Rabdiophrys. For exact identification, observation under high magnification is necessary.

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

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

Sampling Date : 16 October 2006

Sampling Site : KASHIMADAI paddy field  Google Map