image_list image_listE

Oligohymenophorea (formerly Nassophorea): Peniculida: Parameciidae

Paramecium caudatum
Ehrenberg, 1838

Cell Division

Paramecium caudatum cell division 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).

Vegetative cells with dividing micronucleus; orcein staining; by Y. Tsukii
scale 50 μm scale 100 μm scale 150 μm; x 400
Paramecium caudatum, cell division Paramecium caudatum, cell division

Dividing cells of P. caudatum; orcein staining; by Y. Tsukii
Macronucleus divide amitotically, micronucleus mitotically
scale 50 μm scale 100 μm scale 150 μm; x 400
Paramecium caudatum, cell division Paramecium caudatum, cell division Paramecium caudatum, cell division Paramecium caudatum, cell division

A dividing intact cell; by Y. Tsukii
scale 50 μm scale 100 μm scale 150 μm; x 400
Paramecium caudatum, cell division Paramecium caudatum, cell division


Please click on images for viewing enlarged.
Copyright Protist Information Server