Didinium
| Didinium | |
|---|---|
| Didinium nasutum as illustrated by Schewiakoff, 1896 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Alveolata |
| Phylum: | Ciliophora |
| Class: | Litostomatea |
| Order: | Haptorida |
| Family: | Didiniidae |
| Genus: | Stein, 1859 |
Didinium is a genus of unicellular ciliates with at least ten accepted species. All are free-living carnivores. Most are found in fresh and brackish water, but three marine species are known. Their diet consists largely of Paramecium, although they will also attack and consume other ciliates.[1] Some species, such as D. gargantua, also feeds on non-ciliate protists, including dinoflagellates, cryptomonads, and green algae.[2]
- ^ Berger, Jacques (October 1979). "The Feeding Behavior of Didinium nasutum on an Atypical Prey Ciliate (Colpidium campylum)". Transactions of the American Microscopical Society. 98 (4): 487–94. doi:10.2307/3225898. JSTOR 3225898.
- ^ Kypke, Reinhard. "Didinium gargantua Meunier, 1910". www.zooplankton.cn. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-13.