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Mag. 400x (1), 100x (2)

• A pond-side water sample was taken on 07/31/2023 using a 10µ dip net to enrich for microbes. Air temp. 75°F.

In this sample, colonies with this twisted configuration seemed to outnumber those with a flat arrangement of cells. What are the advantages of the twist? Definitely pretty to view!

Mag. 400x
Not moving. Cluster of 3 prominent spines or caudal cilia. Appears to have a geometric pattern of scales.
Coleps? Trachelomonas?-

• A water sample was taken on 08/27/2022 from the shore of Long Pond using a 10µ dip net to enrich for microbes. Air temp. 80°F.

Mag. 400x
Perfect sphere (circle) surrounding an organic core... core looks like pineapple upside down cake... with red cherries. An egg? A waste packet? Help please.

• After gently pushing aside the cover of lily pads, a pond side water sample was taken on 07/16/2022 using a 10µ dip net to enrich for microbes. Air temp. 79°F.

This species doesn't have a name, yet (but we're working on it!). It is a new and undescribed amoeba. So far, it has only been recorded at one location, a rain-fed bog lake in Ottawa. The shell is usually six-sided, with a flat top and nearly perpendicular sides. It has a ruffled (crenulated) aperture. They are usually found in floating mats of filamentous algae.

Sixth image is a stack that didn't work as well as I'd hoped.

Looks a bit like the zygote of a Volvox sp. (see the fringed object at lower right in the figure shown here: https://plos.figshare.com/articles/figure/Sexual_reproduction_of_i_Volvox_longispiniferus_i_sp_nov_from_Thailand_/12604133/1) However, I have yet to set to see volvox at this sampling location. Also the fringe on this lifeform seems to spirally wrap its entire body rather than wrapping a single plane as it appears to do in the volvox zygote. Please help with the ID if you can. Thanks! (Also see the spiny, Cosmarium zygote shown here: http://www.desmids.nl/info/reproductie/desmids_sexual_reproduction.html
A pond-edge water sample was collected on 4/8/2021 using a 10 micron dip net to enrich for microorganisms. Air temp. 65F

Test ("shell") - Arcella? (see https://www.arcella.nl/lobose-testate-amoebae/) - much smaller than https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/73619698.
A pond-edge water sample was collected on 4/8/2021 using a 10 micron dip net to enrich for microorganisms. Air temp. 65F

Podría tratarse de "Philasterides dicentrarchi", pero el tamaño es menor del reseñado para la especie. Por el tamaño podría ser "Uronema", un género muy parecido.
Se encontraba en aguas salinas, dentro de la masa mucilaginosa que envolvía los huevos del chironómido de la observación https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62717583.

Podrías ser C. auranticus. Son los filamentos situados entre las bacterias ovaladas de Aphanothece halophytica. Ver https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62715884
En una corriente de aguas hipersalinas procedentes de una región con fuentes termales. Temperatura del agua 25ºC.

Found in the surface layer of an unopened pool that has been a pond for several years. The bottom has a good layer of leaf litter, the top has scattered duckweed and watermeal. The water is fairly cold, and very clean.

Numerosas observaciones durante los meses de junio y julio a partir de la muestra tomada en una laguna salada.
Además de distintas imágenes de hembras, se incluyen las de un macho, huevos con una espécimen recién eclosionado y dos imágenes del trophi tras el tratamiento con lejía: una de visión ventral y otra frontal.

Stephanopyxis turris (Greville) Ralfs ex Pritchard 1861

Class: Coscinodiscophyceae, Order: Stephanopyxales, Family: Stephanopyxidaceae, Genus: Stephanopyxis (Eupyxidicula).

S. turris is considered to be a synonym of Eupyxidicula turris (Greville) S. Blanco & C.E.Wetzel 2016: 197 (Blanco 2016). According to Algabase E. turris is accepted taxonomically (Guiry et al. 2020).

Images of Stephanopyxis turris (Eupyxidicula turris) from Trincomali Channel, (TC), Spanish Hills wharf, North Galiano Isl., Southern Gulf Islands, British Columbia, Canada.

Girdle views. Light microscope (LM) image of live cells in a chain [Image: 1] and developed resting spores [Images: 2, 3]. Scanning electron microscope images (SEM) of this chain forming diatom [Image: 4]. A diameter range of 10-115 µm. S. turris cells are described as cylindrical, spherical to hemispherical and have an indistinct transition from valve to mantle. S. turris has similar sized, large hexagonal, honeycomb like areolae on the whole valve Images: 5, 6. Valve and mantle areolae reported as 3.5-5 in 10 µm (Hasle et al. 1997).

Cells joined midway by labiate processes [Images: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11], whereas S. nipponica has continuous processes between cells. Two rings of labiate processes: a) one ring at the junction of the valve face and mantle, with long processes joining halfway between cells [Images: 1, 2, 5, 6, 11] and b) second ring may be hard to discern, but is found at the valve margin in the marginal row of hexagonal areolae Images: 8. S. palmeriana has areolae large on the valve face to small on the valve mantle (Hasle et al. 1997, Jameson et al. 2010). Variable number of girdle bands [Image: 5, 8]. Numerous large chloroplasts Image: 1.

A moderately common neritic marine diatom found in sub-tropical and temperate marine waters (Hoppenrath et al. 2010). Only four extant species are known worldwide: S. turris, S. nipponica, S. palmeriana and S. orbiculares (Ferrario, et al. 2012). Shim (1976) and Waters et al. (1976) in surveys of diatoms of the Georgia Straight and Esquimalt Lagoon near Victoria, B.C. report only finding Stephanopyxis nipponica. S. nipponica has been reported by Riznyk (1973) for the Yaquina Estuary, Oregon. Tynni (1986) found S. turris in Puget Sound and long Beach on the Coast of Washington. Cupp (1941) reported S. turris, S. palmeriana and S. nipponica along the West Coast of North America. Phyto’pedia shows images S. turris collected from Jericho Beach, English Bay, Vancouver.

Methods: Specimens collected with a 60 µm mesh plankton net from Spanish Hills wharf, North Galiano Isl., Southern Gulf Islands, British Columbia, Canada, July 14, 2005. LM images taken with a Swift portable FM 31 inverted microscope and Nikon Coolpix 4500 camera. Cells were not cleaned of organic matter for the SEM images: a) cells preserved with a final concentration of 2.5% Glutaraldehyde, b) washed in distilled water to remove salts, c) an Ethyl alcohol series from 50-100%, d) pipetted onto an aluminium SEM stub with a carbon sticky, e) dried in a 60 degree oven and f) sputter coated with 5 nm gold. Hitachi S-4700 FESEM, UBC BioImaging Facility. Thank you Elaine Humphrey and Derrick Horne for SEM assistance. And thanks go to Alice Chang of UBC for reviewing and making suggestions to this description and observations.

Observations on Trincomali Channel samples and notes on diagnostic features:

Areolae: The TC sample has areolae ranging from 1.8-3.2 µm diameter and 3.5-4 areolae in 10 µm. With some exceptions, there is a slight overall increase in areolae size from mantle to valve tip.

Valve rimoportulae: There appear to be occasional rimoportulae inside the areolae on the valve face that are not at the valve mantle margin [Image: 7]; this is a third location of rimoportulae, unreported in the literature and requires further investigation, especially of the internal valve surface.

The well described two labiate (rimoportulae) processes (Hasle et al. 1997, Ferrario et al. 2012) were found at 1) the margin of the valve face and mantle Image: 8 and 2) the tubular linking or half tubular strutted processes that join midway between adjacent cells Images 5, 6, 7, 11. In a number of papers the cell linking processes are variously termed; spines (Cupp 1943, Sancetta 1982, quoting Hustedt 1930), tubular processes (sometimes half tubular) (Round et al. 1990), labiate processes (Hasle et al. 1997, Horner 2002, Jameson et al. 2010) and linking rimoportulae (Ferrario et al. 2012). We do not have SEM images from the TC samples of the inside of the valve to determine that the processes are rimoportulae that have an opening in the shape of a pair of lips (labiate).

Occurrence: In May 2020 TC samples, no S. turris cells were observed. However occasional S. nipponica chains constitute a small percentage of each weekly sample.

Images:

Image 1: LM image of Stephanopyxis turris, girdle view. Non-fixed environmental sample. Imaging on July 14, 2005 with a Swift portable FM 31 inverted microscope and Nikon Coolpix 4500 camera.

Image 2: LM image of Stephanopyxis turris, girdle view, developing resting spores. Non-fixed, environmental sample. Imaging on July 14, 2005 with a Swift portable FM 31 inverted microscope and Nikon Coolpix 4500 camera.

Image 3: LM image of Stephanopyxis turris, girdle view, developing resting spores. Non-fixed, environmental sample. Imaging on July 14, 2005 with a Swift portable FM 31 inverted microscope and Nikon Coolpix 4500 camera.

Image 4: SEM image. Girdle view of Stephanopyxis turris chain of dividing cells. Hitachi S-4700 FESEM.

Image 5: SEM image. Girdle view of Stephanopyxis turris chain of cells. White arrows indicate: a) girdle bands, b) distinct fusion line of external half tubular process between cells and c) hexagonal areolae with generally even sizes throughout valve face. Hitachi S-4700 FESEM.

Image 6: SEM image. Girdle view of Stephanopyxis turris. Hitachi S-4700 FESEM.

Image 7: SEM image. Girdle view of Stephanopyxis turris. Larger white arrow shows the distinct fusion line of the external half tubular process between cells. Smaller arrows show possible rimoportulae inside the valve areolae. Hitachi S-4700 FESEM.

Image 8: SEM image. Girdle view of Stephanopyxis turris. White arrows indicate: a) labiate processes at the valve face and mantle, and b) cingulum with girdle bands. Hitachi S-4700 FESEM.

Image 10: SEM image. Girdle view of Stephanopyxis turris. White arrows indicate: a) areolae with large apertures, and b) multiple poroids within the areolae (Round et al. 1990: p. 158-159). Hitachi S-4700 FESEM.

Image 11: SEM image. Girdle view of Stephanopyxis turris. White arrows indicate: a) distinct fusion line of external half tubular process midway between cells and b) half tubular processes. Hitachi S-4700 FESEM.

References:

Blanco, S. & C.E.Wetzel, C.E. (2016). Replacement names for botanical taxa involving algal genera. Phytotaxa 266(3): 195-205.

Cupp, E. E. (1943). Marine Plankton Diatoms of the West Coast of North America. Bull. Scrips. Inst. Oceanography. 5: 1-238.

Ferrario, M.E., G.O. Almandoz, A.O. Cefarelli, E. Fabro & M. Vernet (2012). Stephanopyxis species (Bacillariophyceae) from shelf and slope waters of the Argentinean Sea: Ultrastructure and distribution. – Nova Hedwigia 96: 249–263.

Hasle, G.R. & Syvertsen, E.E. (1997). Marine Diatoms. In: Identifying Marine Phytoplankton. (Tomas, C.R. Eds), pp. 90-93. San Diego: Academic Press.

Horner, R. A. 2002. A Taxonomic Guide To Some Common Phytoplankton. Biopress Limited, Dorset Press, Dorchester, UK.

Guiry, M.D. & Guiy, G.M. 2020, AlgaeBase version 4.2. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, http://algaebase.org, searched May 6, 2020.

Hoppenrath, M., Elbrächter, M. & Drebes, G. (2009). Marine phytoplankton Selected microphytoplankton species from the North Sea around Helgoland and Sylt. pp. [1]-264, figs 1-87. Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.

Jameson, I. & Hallegraeff, G.M. (2010). Planktonic diatoms. In: Algae of Australia. Phytoplankton of temperate waters. (Hallegraeff, G.M., Bolch, C.J.S., Hill, D.R.A., Jameson, I, LeRoi, J.-M., McMinn, A., Murray, S., de Salas, M.F. & Saunders, K. Eds), pp. 16-82. Canberra & Melbourne: ABRS; CSIRO Publishing.

Lee, H. J. (2015). Algal Flora of Korea. Marine Diatoms IV. National Institute of Biological Resources, Ministry of Environment. Vol. 3, Number 14. pp. 61-62.

Phyto'pedia - The Phytoplankton Encyclopaedia Project, UBC Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences: https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/research/phytoplankton/diatoms/centric/stephanopyxis/s_turris.html Accessed May 6, 2020.

Rao, V.N.R. and Levin, J. (1976). Benthic marine diatom flora of False Bay, San Juan Island, Washington. Syesis, 9:173–213.

Tynni, R. (1986). Observations of diatoms on the coast of the state of Washington. Geological Survey of Finland, Report of Investigation 75.

Round, F.E.,Crawford, R.M. & Mann, D.G. (1990), The Diatoms, Biology & Morphology of the Genera. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Shim, J. H. (1976). Distribution and Taxonomy of Planktonic Marine Diatoms in the Strait of Georgia, B.C. Phd. Thesis, UBC. P. 140. P. 225a: Plate IV.; fig 1.

Waters, RE, LN Brown, and MG Robinson. (1992).  Phytoplankton of Esquimalt Lagoon, British Columbia: comparison with west Vancouver Island coastal and offshore waters. Canadian Technical Report of Hydrography Ocean Sciences 137. 

Appeared to flicker when looking at it through eyepiece, but camera did not capture any hint of this. I've never seen anything flicker like this before. My scope is broke so switching to a higher magnification requires unscrewing lenses and just wasn't practical. Didn't see this again when sweeping across slide at higher magnification.

This distinctive carpet moss seen at the base of a tree in a sandy savanna in Lucas County is Entodon seductrix. The leaves are shiny, and arranged so that they collectively surround the stem, making it "julaceous," i.e., round in cross-section, resembling a cat's tail.