The
Bursaria is a large protozoan and belongs to the Phyllum
Ciliophora. It is from 500-1000 um long, has a wide mouth
(top) and a deep gullet. It uses cilia for locomotion and to sweep
food down into its gullet. Bursaria
feeds readily on a particular species of Paramecium called Paramecium
bursaria. When
conditions are less than favorable, the Bursaria encysts (it turns into a
hard shelled sphere) and waits out the time until favorable conditions
return. They
are readily available from science supply companies, and, because of their
large size, make good Ciliophora specimens. At
lower left we see a Bursaria full of the Paramecium bursaria. Notice
also the oral groove on the lower right side of this protist. Image
was taken with a darkfield microscope. |
