Oral infraciliature

Description:

Ventral infraciliature of the hymenostome ciliate, Cinetochilum margaritaceum (Ehrenberg, 1831) Perty, 1849 emphasizing oral apparatus. The oral apparatus is subequatorial. The first somatic kineties to its right and left can be seen arching around to meet just anterior to it. The other ventral somatic kineties are not well seen here. There is a semicircular undulating membrane on the right (red arrowhead). The three obliquely oriented adoral membranelles (M1- M3 ) are seen here. M3 (white arrowhead) is small compared with M1 (light blue arrowhead) and M2 (pink arrowhead). Radial fibrils can be seen between the posterior part of the undulating membrane and the cytostome (yellow arrowhead). The scutica (unciliated basal bodies associated with the stomatogenic field of kinetosomes) is seen as a short oblique line immediately posterior to the undulating membrane (green arrowhead). Stained by the silver carbonate technic (see Foissner, W. Europ. J. Protistol.27, 313-330; 1991). Collected from a freshwater pond near Boise, Idaho. Brightfield.