Tiny Organisms in Aquatic Habitats

Cililates (Ciliophora)

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

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 an 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 an Aquarium

© Wolfgang Bettighofer 2023–2024

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