''Coleps'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
ciliate
The ciliates are a group of alveolates characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to flagellum, eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and present in much larger numbers, with a ...
s in the class
Prostomatea
Prostomatea is a class of ciliate
The ciliates are a group of alveolates characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to flagellum, eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and pr ...
with barrel-shaped bodies surrounded by regularly arranged plates composed of calcium carbonate.
Description
Species of ''Coleps'' can grow up to 250 μm in length, but are usually under 100 μm in their longest axis.
''Coleps'' can be
taxonomically distinguished by the ornamentation of the
ectoplasmic plates which make up their
test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film) ...
.
These plates are located outside
alveolar vesicles of the
cell cortex
The cell cortex, also known as the actin cortex, cortical cytoskeleton or actomyosin cortex, is a specialized layer of cytoplasmic proteins on the inner face of the cell membrane. It functions as a modulator of membrane behavior and cell surface p ...
, and contain both organic and inorganic components, the latter of which is mostly amorphous
calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...
.
Predatory behavior
''Coleps'' feeds on
bacteria
Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...
,
algae
Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...
,
flagellate
A flagellate is a cell or organism with one or more whip-like appendages called flagella. The word ''flagellate'' also describes a particular construction (or level of organization) characteristic of many prokaryotes and eukaryotes and the ...
s, living and dead ciliates, animal and plant tissues.
''Coleps'' uses
toxicysts, which are organelles containing poison that it uses to capture its prey from its oral area. It extrudes tube-like structures to force toxicysts into its prey and wait until its prey becomes paralyzed. These toxicysts, however, takes about 5–10 minutes to be effective on the prey of the ''Coleps'' and it separates itself from the prey during this time.
If there are numerous ''Coleps'' hunting for the same prey, some ''Coleps'' will cling to its prey until the toxicysts become effective and fragment the prey, consuming only a few parts.
References
Further reading
*
"A comical beastie" at Microscopy-UK
Intramacronucleata
Ciliate genera
Taxa named by Christian Ludwig Nitzsch
{{ciliate-stub