Ciliates (Ciliophora)
	The following reports (please click on the small images below) deal, among other protists, with ciliates from different aquatic regions.

	Ciliates in the Hiddensee Bodden   under construction	Suctorians in the Hiddensee Bodden   under construction	Vorticella in the Hiddensee Bodden	Folliculinids in the Hiddensee Bodden   under construction

	The suctoria and their feeding tentacles
	Suctoria are a special group of ciliates that do not have cilia in their vegetative phase. Instead of mouth openings, they have tentacles that they use to hold onto prey, but also to suck them out. The article sheds light on the question of whether it is actually a suction process.
	The tentacles of the suctorians   under construction
	Coleps hirtus in the aquarium
	Coleps hirtus is a small ciliate that feeds on bacteria, small algae, flagellates, other ciliates and rotifers, but also feeds on animal and plant corpses. This article explains that an overpopulation of these small scavengers in an aquarium can be unpleasant for the fish living in it.
	Coleps hirtus in the Aquarium
	© Wolfgang Bettighofer 2023