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Oligohymenophorea (formerly Nassophorea): Peniculida: Parameciidae

Paramecium caudatum
Ehrenberg, 1838

Trichocysts

Paramecium caudatum trichocyst Genus: Cigar- or foot-shaped; a single macronucleus and 1 to several vesicular or compact micronuclei (Kudo, 1966).
Species: 180-300 μm long; a compact micronucleus; two contractile vacuoles (Kudo, 1966). Cylindrical or cigar-shaped; rounded anteriorly, pointed posteriorly; one large compact micronucleus ("caudatum" group) approximately 8 μm diam.; two contractile vacuoles; 170-290 μm long (Wichterman, 1986). Elongate, rounded anteriorly, pointed posteriorly; caudal cilia present; 180-280 μm long; a single macronucleus with a single micronucleus; two contractile vacuoles (Carey, 1992).

Trichocysts were discharged by the treatment of picric acid; by Y. Tsukii
Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts
trichocyst-nondischarge mutant cells; by Y. Tsukii
Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts
An intact cell; trichocysts are anchored below cell membrane; by Y. Tsukii
Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts Paramecium caudatum, Trichocysts

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