Supraspathidium sp. (Spathidiid ciliate)

Most spathidiids have a single large vacuole in the posterior of the cell. The genus Supraspathidium was created for members of the group that have multiple contractile vacuoles. In addition to its distinctive collection of vacuoles, this fellow has a long, wormlike macronucleus, a dumbell-shaped oral bulge, and a fine fan of extrusomes at the front end of the cell. Some bundles of these extrusomes are also floating free in the cytoplasm of the cell. The posterior vacuole is notably small, but present. It resembles the organism Eugene Penard described as Spathidium vermiforme (Etudes sur les Infusoires d’Eau Douce, 1922).

Length 396 μm