APROCEAN

 marvelous_microscopy

Anyone have book suggestions for identifying ciliates?

This marine ciliate is ingesting diatoms on a blade of seaweed. Video is at X2 speed. Not absolutely certain which genus the ciliate belongs to but the diatoms it has engulfed appear to be Navicula sp.

Ciliates like Frontonia sp. and Chilodonella sp. often prey on diatoms however this ciliate appears to have a prominent oral cleft which suggests that it may be another genus.

I want to get better at identifying ciliates but I’m not very familiar with good reference material so if you have some suggestions I’d love to hear them.

Filmed December 18, 2021

.