Observation Descriptions on Vorticella spec.

On the transformation process into the  swarmer stage

As can be seen in Figure 1, Peritrichia fold their peristome before starting binary fission. In Figures 2 and 3 the initial of the transitory ciliary girdle (telotroch) can be seen: the notches at the end of the outline of the conical part of the cell body. A constriction forms in the cortex (the complex cell membrane of the ciliates), from which numerous cilia slowly sprout, which then provide propulsion in the migration phase: the telotroch. In Figures 4 and 5 the ring-shaped bulge of the telotroch is clearly visible.
It was astonishing to observe how both cells were synchronized to extend their adorale zones of membranelles (AZM) of their peristomes. While this makes sense for the cell that keeps the stalk, the other cell, which has to swim away, had to retract the AZM again to get ready for the migration phase.

As I continued to observe, I could see the swarmer taking on a spherical shape and folding its AZM. Figures 4 and 5 show the telotroch clearly developed, the cilia are appr. 5 µm long. At this stage, the ciliary ring was slowly undulating, sometimes twitching, with a period of four to five seconds. At the end of this process, the cilia had grown up to a length of approx. 8 µm. The initially quite ataxic movements of the cilia (very jerky wave movements of the cilia ring) became more and more coordinated and faster over time, and the wave frequency increased to once per second.

Suddenly it was as if the engine had warmed up. The rapid movements of the cilia could no longer be observed separately, the cell violently tore at its thread-like connection to the mother cell, and a short time later it had detached.