Homalozoon vermiculare

Phylum: Ciliophora

Class: Litostomatea

Order: Haptorida

Family: Homalozoonidae

Genus: Homalozoon

Species: H. vermiculare

 

Homalozoon , the sole representative of the family Homalozoonidae , is a genus of marine ciliates of the order Haptorida .

 

The genus Homalozoon is similar to a worm . Indeed, its body has an elongated, laterally flattened and contractile shape, with a length between 150 and 1,500 μm long. The posterior part is shaped like a rounded tail. The anterior end is blunt, slightly inclined backwards from right to left.

 

The oral opening is a slit along the apical margin. The buccal region is supported by whiskers . The upper left surface has three kinetia but may be devoid of cilia in some species. A distinctive longitudinal ridge is observed along the midline. The lower right surface is ciliated with up to twenty longitudinal kinetia. Trichocysts are distributed throughout the body. The macronucleus , usually located along the ventral margin, is moniliform (i.e., has alternating constrictions and swellings). Several contractile vacuoles are aligned along the dorsal margin.

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