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Specimen
088
Synedra diatom and Stylonychia putrina grazing alongside each other. Stylonychia is a genus of ciliates which is distinguished partly by long cirri at the posterior, usually a cluster of three. Stylonychia cells are roughly oval in shape, inflexible and flattened from back to front. The organism's cilia are grouped into structures called "cirri," tufts of joined cilia that function together as a unit. The cirri on the ventral surface of the cell can function as legs, enabling the organism to walk along solid substrates, such as submerged algae, leaves or debris. |