Mystery Bug of the Month

FYI

Consulting

Training

Additional links

Miscellaneous

Audits

Troubleshooting Tips

Microscopic Analyses

Case Histories

Additional Troubleshooting Topics

Duckweed

Algae

Lift Stations

Wastewater Microbiology

Microscopic Analyses

Photomicrographs

Filamentous Identification

Biological Products

Wastewater Treatment Seminar

Request for our new Brochures

Call now to set up a Wastewater Biomass Analyses or Filamentous Identification of your plant!

Finally new Release

Filamentous Identification

"the Easy Way"

New training program

Mystery Bug of the Month

September-05

Acrobats from the Depths below. . . . .

OK, well they are not really from oceans below or under the sea, in reality these little critters were found in a wastewater Aeration Basin at a municipality. What surprised me is how these free swimming ciliates were like acrobats and could twist and turn in so many different directions, and so quickly too. They could twist and contort their bodies in all different ways! They were very social also, as there was quite a community of them in this sample! It was amazing and a fun experience to watch . . . ..

We do have videos of this, but they are too large to load on a website. They are one megabyte for each second. Some of the videos were 20-30 seconds. You may contact us for copies of the videos if you are interested.

These photomicrographs were taken from a wastewater sample. Most of the objectives used were 100x and 400x. Some photos of the ciliates were taken at 1000x.

Come take a closer look at the amazing world under the microscope!

400x Bright Field Above is one of the free swimming ciliates close up They look pretty harmless- not at all like jaws!! Look at all that cilia . . . .	Ok, here is our Free Swimmer at the beginning of this photo session- 100x bright field,
100x Can be found in habitats with low oxygen.	Contractile vacuole at posterior end of cell Here is the organism prior to dividing
100x It is starting to divide here	100x More separation visible
100x Almost apart
	A group of them with our dividing organism in the center

	lots of oral cilia
1000x	400x They have many nucleus
The cytostome, or mouth	Starting the acrobatic dance!
A very distinct cytostome or mouth where ingestion takes place
With a big mouth like that, they can swallow many single celled bacteria or small organism	A large food vacuole. Poor flagellate, he is still very much alive and moving at this point! Looks like a snake here swallowing its prey!
lots of oral cilia again	Look at they way they twist and turn
More acrobatics Remember, this is all in one drop of water on a slide under the microscope !!!	1000x Bright Field Above are photomicrographs of the free swimming ciliates close up You never know what you will find under the microscope. . . .

The contractile vacuole is relatively long, with a very long canal

and the dance begins . . . . .

These organisms hold the record for the fastest body contractions of any living cell!!!

They can contract the length of their body to 25% of its normal size in ~6-8 milliseconds.

The oral region is usually at least 1/2 the body length, hmmm, maybe they should be called "jaws"

Have you guessed him yet?

Genus Spirostomum

Family Spirostomidae

Class Heterotrichea
Order Heterotrichida
(Class Spirotrichea (Heterotrichs)

Phylum Ciliophora

Kingdom Protozoa

Spirostomum (spire-owe-stow-mum) are a genus of heterotrich ciliates. Some species may extend up to 1 mm in length.

Would you like to see more of the first Mystery Bug- videos and photos

Mystery Bug 9-04 Mystery Filament of the Month 9-04 Mystery Filament of the Month 10-04

Mystery Bug 10-04 Mystery Bug-11-04 Mystery Bug-12-04 Mystery Bug-1-05

Mystery Bug-2-05 Mystery Bug-3-05 Mystery Bug-4-05 Mystery Bug-5-05

Mystery Bug-6-05 Mystery Bug-7-05 Mystery Bug-8-05

Mystery Bug-9-05 Mystery Bug-10-05 Mystery Bug-11-05 Mystery Bug-12-05

Mystery Bug 1-06 Mystery Bug 2-06 Mystery Bug 3-06

Mystery Bug 4-06   Mystery Bug 5-06 Mystery Bug 6-06

Mystery Bug 8-06 II   Mystery Bug 9-06 II Mystery Bug 10-06

Mystery Bug 11-06    Mystery Bug 12-06 Mystery Bug 1-07 and links to all the Mystery Bugs of 2007

Stay tuned each month

More to come soon!

Enlargements: If you liked these pictures and want to see additional microorganisms check out the pages below.

Amoeba

Flagellates

Free Swimming Ciliates

Eating under the microscope- Dinner time!

What if you do not have a lab or microscope onsite that is capable of performing an analyses of your system?

Find out how Environmental Leverage's lab can perform an analyses of your biomass in your system and make recommendation on how to improve your system.

Wastewater Biomass Analyses

Information Request Form

Select the items that apply, and then let us know how to contact you.

Send product literature
Send company literature
Have a salesperson contact me

Send Additional Case History Information

I would like to order the Wastewater Training CD's -Please send me more information

Send information on how to get a Microscopic analyses

I would like to send in a sample for a Wastewater Biomass Analyses

I would like to have photos taken of my own wastewater treatment system for training purposes

I would like Hands-on training at my wastewater plant on Microscopic analyses

I would like to send in a sample for a Filamentous Identification

I would like to have digital videos taken of my own wastewater treatment system for training purposes

Please send more information on your Bioaugmentation Products and Solutions

Name

Title

Company

Address

E-mail

Phone