Ciliates
Lacrymaria
Lacrymaria (swan-neck ciliate)
A ciliate with a neck. The front end stretches many times the body length and swings around, searching for prey.
What to look for
- Teardrop body with a long, extensible neck ending in a small head with the mouth.
- The neck shoots out and pulls back again within seconds.
- Hunts other small protists.
Size in the field
The body is small, but with the neck extended it can cross a good part of the field at 100×.
Where to find it
Pond and ditch samples with plenty of small prey.
Clips 0
No clip of this group is on the site yet. The description above is enough to check your own observation.