Dileptus margaritifer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dileptus margaritifer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dileptus margaritifer | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Alveolata |
| Phylum: | Ciliophora |
| Class: | Litostomatea |
| Order: | Dileptida |
| Family: | Dileptidae |
| Genus: | Dileptus |
| Species: | D. margaritifer |
| Binomial name | |
| Dileptus margaritifer (Ehrenberg, 1834) Dujardin, 1841 | |
Dileptus margaritifer is a species of ciliates in the family Dileptidae. It is common in freshwater streams, lakes and ponds, as well as mosses and soil. The species has been found on every continent except Antarctica.[1]
Because of a taxonomic error by one researcher in the 19th century, specimens of Dileptus margaritifer have been misidentified in most studies as Dileptus anser (Müller, 1773).[1]
Dileptus margaritifer has a slender body, usually about 450 μm in length and very flexible, narrowing at the posterior into a small, sharp tail. At its front, it has a broad and tapering proboscis, reminiscent of an elephant's trunk in its shape and flexibility, but with a flattened rather than round cross-section. The proboscis is 1/3 to 1/2 of the total body length. The cellular mouth (cytostome) sits at the base of the proboscis within a protuberance called the "oral bulge." The cell has a row of 4-20 contractile vacuoles along the dorsal surface, and at least 200 macronuclei scattered in the cytoplasm, with several spherical micronuclei distributed among them.
Feeding habits
Dileptus margaritifer feeds upon other unicellular organisms, using toxic extrusomes embedded in its proboscis to strike and stun its prey. The tip of the proboscis sometimes adheres to other objects, and can become detached. Most of the proboscis may be lost in this way during a feeding period, but is quickly regenerated. Captured prey is ingested through an oral aperture (cytostome) at the base of the proboscis. In one study, it was found that Dileptus margaritifer fed almost exclusively in the early morning, between 4am and 9am.[2][3]