A ciliate foraging on an aggregate

A slender ciliate 150 microns in length is busily looking for food. Sometimes it goes inside an aggregate, and other times it crawls on the surface. The cilia at the front and back are vigorously moving.

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
The ciliate in this video is shown mainly from the side view, so it is difficult to identify. It probably belongs to genus Stichotrichida, but there are many species in this genus. To determine the organism to the species level,it is necessary to observe its body shape, as well as the number and the arrangement of cirri from the top view.

Sampling Date : 28 May 2009

Sampling Site : Hirose River B  Google Map