appendicularia: Fritillaria

[Rene]

Hi guys,

I generally do not see much zooplankton in my samples, but some now and then there are some representatives of the sea squirts present (notably Oikopleura). Today I came across a close relative called Fritillaria (yes, I know, the name is also in use within the lily family. Taxonomy is never finished).
Generally, my samples arrive preserved with lugols, hence the brown colour. It is actually reasonably preserved, considering all parts are there. But it doesn't make a nice picture, so I generally refrain from posting here.


Fritillaria, from the North Sea, 14th of May. Preserved with Lugol's iodine solution. 10x/0.4 objective.

But I remembered I got some images from a live sample a couple of years ago:


10x/0.4

20x/0.7


20x/0.7


20x/0.7

Funny how the mind always tries to see an animal with an eye in it! In fact, it isn't an eye, it is his belly. And pretty much empty...
Of course this is only part of the existence of this thingy, they tend to build a large 'house' around itself, which filters out plankton for food. But that's very delicate and I have never seen it myself.

Best wishes,
René

Nachtrag, I uploaded some movies of this strange beast as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjcV7IKO0mM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoYmcjxC5ZI

Enjoy!