Larger image (Magnified above at 40x)
Another freshwater critter of curiosity I caught dancing around among the algae. Though its green like algae, it moves about on its own. A noticeable feature, was the bright reddish spot...
Sharon wrote: I noticed on your page you have a very similar phytoplankton to the one I found.
But it is not the same species. I want to identify the species. Mine has a red dot on it, which looks like an eye, but I do not believe it is in an eye.
Please can you help me to identify this species?
Thank you, Sharon Mooney
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It's almost certainly a euglenoid.
IF it was flexible in motion (e.g., the cell body itself flexible, not just the flagella), it is almost certainly a member of the genus Euglena.
The red spot is in fact an 'eyespot' - it's a very primitive eye that allows the euglena to detect light -- a big advantage for a mobile photosynthesizer.
Dr. Rochelle Sturtevant
Extension Educator
NOAA
Great Lakes Sea Grant Network
Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab
Heres the same magnified by combination of microscope and camera
Large Image
Large Image
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Photos and Video of Euglena, Page One
Photos of Euglena, Page Two
Euglena Images, Page Three
Euglena Images, Page Four
