Oxytricha longa

Oxytricha longa (Gelei & Szabados, 1950) Ciliophora, Oxytrichidae.          A large population of these flexible oblong ciliates was found in a birdbath in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The range in length of the specimens studied was  80-110μm.          Somewhat unusual for Oxytichidae, O. longa has four transverse cirri (where most have five or more) and two long caudal cirri that are offset to the right of the posterior end. The caudal cirri are longer then the overhanging transverse cirri.          Description: O. longa has two rows of marginal cirri that are continuous around the posterior. Two caudal cirri are offset to the right of the cell’s posterior and exceed in length the four transverse cirri. The adoral zone of membranelles (AZM) occupies the anterior third of the cell. There are three frontal cirri, a buccal cirrus and four frontoventral cirri. The number of ventral and pre-transverse cirri was undetermined.          A two-node nucleus is located on the left margin of the cell with a water expelling vacuole in between the two nodes.