''Opercularia'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does in ...
, colonial,
sessiline peritrich
The peritrichs (Latin: Peritrichia) are a large and distinctive group of ciliates.
The peritrichs were first defined by Friedrich von Stein in 1859. Initially they were considered spirotrichs, then treated as a separate category, before receivin ...
ciliate
The ciliates are a group of alveolates characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and present in much larger numbers, with a differen ...
s. As consumers of free bacteria in the water, several species of Opercularia serve as important indicator organisms in the study of wastewater treatment. Operculariids can be distinguished from other sessile peritrichs (many of which share very similar body plans) by their prominent, non-contractile stalk; peristome without lip; and elongate, horseshoe-shaped macronucleus.
Etymology
The name ''Opercularia'' comes from the Latin opercularis, which means covered (with a lid).
This is in reference to their lid-like peristomal disk.
Selected species
Selected species include:
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Opercularia allensi''
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Opercularia coarctata''
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Opercularia cylindrata''
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Opercularia longigula''
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Opercularia minima''
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Opercularia nutans''
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Opercularia stenostoma''
References
Oligohymenophorea
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