Stylonychia
Encyclopedia
Stylonychia is a genus of ciliate
, included among the stichotrich
s. It is very common in fresh water and soil, found on filamentous algae, surface films, and among particles of sediment. They can also be found swimming on/through decaying vegetation and pond scum floating through the water. Like its relatives, Stylonychia has cilia grouped into membranelle
s alongside the mouth and cirri over the body. It is distinguished partly by long cirri at the posterior, usually a cluster of three.The largest can just be seen at a 25x magnification, and the smallest can just be seen at a 450x magnification.They are carnivorous and prey on other protozoans/bacteria, such as Urocentrum.
and blepharisma, is a ciliate (having short hair like extensions). The cilia of stylonychia are more highly specialized and not freely distributed over its body. The cilia along the edge of the ventral surface seem to be tufts of cilia fused together and are used very much like legs allowing the animal to move with a walking motion.Some have small "tufts" of cilli, others have them evenly spread out. Longer fused cilia form stylus-like protrusions at both ends of its body. Another set of specialized cilia beat the water and sweep bacteria
and other microorganisms into its oral cavity.Sometimes pieces of their prey can be seen whilst being digested.
Ciliate
The ciliates are a group of protozoans characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to flagella but typically shorter and present in much larger numbers with a different undulating pattern than flagella...
, included among the stichotrich
Stichotrich
The stichotrichs are a group of ciliate protozoa, included among the spirotrichs. Like the hypotrichs, with which they were originally classified, they have body cilia fused into cirri, but these are mostly arranged into rows, running along the ventral surface or edges of the cell. Most...
s. It is very common in fresh water and soil, found on filamentous algae, surface films, and among particles of sediment. They can also be found swimming on/through decaying vegetation and pond scum floating through the water. Like its relatives, Stylonychia has cilia grouped into membranelle
Membranelle
Membranelles are structures found around the mouth, or cytostome, in ciliate protists. They are typically arranged in series, to form an "adoral zone of membranelles," or AZM, on the left side of the buccal cavity . The membranelles are made up of kinetosomes arranged in groups to make up...
s alongside the mouth and cirri over the body. It is distinguished partly by long cirri at the posterior, usually a cluster of three.The largest can just be seen at a 25x magnification, and the smallest can just be seen at a 450x magnification.They are carnivorous and prey on other protozoans/bacteria, such as Urocentrum.
Morphology
The stylonychia is oval in shape when viewed from the top, and it is notable for its incessant activity and rapid movement. It, like the parameciumParamecium
Paramecium is a group of unicellular ciliate protozoa, which are commonly studied as a representative of the ciliate group, and range from about 0.05 to 0.35 mm in length. Simple cilia cover the body, which allow the cell to move with a synchronous motion at speeds of approximately 12 body...
and blepharisma, is a ciliate (having short hair like extensions). The cilia of stylonychia are more highly specialized and not freely distributed over its body. The cilia along the edge of the ventral surface seem to be tufts of cilia fused together and are used very much like legs allowing the animal to move with a walking motion.Some have small "tufts" of cilli, others have them evenly spread out. Longer fused cilia form stylus-like protrusions at both ends of its body. Another set of specialized cilia beat the water and sweep bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
and other microorganisms into its oral cavity.Sometimes pieces of their prey can be seen whilst being digested.