Campanella umbellaria

Domain: Eukaryota

Phylum: Ciliophora

Class: Oligohymenophorea

Order: Sessilida

Family: Epistylidae

Genus: Campanella

Species: C.umbellaria

 

Campanella umbellaria is sessile, with a dichotomous non-contractile stalk. It has a horseshoe-shaped macronucleus and a single contractile vacuole. Colonies can contain 40–50 individuals, and can reach several millimeters in height.

 

Campanella umbellaria is one of the most common peritrichous ciliates. Colonies are often found en masse as furry coverings on decaying leaves or plant stems. The species forms large colonies on branched stems. As an important distinguishing feature from Vorticella or Pseudovorticella, the stems are non-contractile. Only the individuals can contract. The individuals are very large, 200–300 µm, and usually completely filled with yellowish or brownish food vacuoles. As another distinctive feature Campanella umbellaria has a peristome with 3 to a maximum of 7 rows of cilia. The high number of cilia rows is already well visible in lateral view at low magnification.

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