What Does Vorticella Means?

Vorticella is a protozoa (protist) that belongs to the Phylum Ciliophora. As such, they are eukaryotic ciliates that can be found in such habitats as fresh and salty water bodies among others. According to studies, Vorticella is the largest genus of sessile peritrich ciliates with over 100 identified species.

What is Vorticella supergroup?

Vorticella is a genus of bell-shaped ciliates that have stalks to attach themselves to substrates. The stalks have contractile myonemes, allowing them to pull the cell body against substrates. The formation of the stalk happens after the free-swimming stage.

How big is a Vorticella?

A sessile Vorticella consists of the zooid (inverted-bell-shaped cell body; usually about 30–40 μm in diameter when contracted) and the stalk (3–4 μm in diameter and about 100 μm in length) (Figure 1A).

Chloe Bennett

Chloe Bennett

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