Ward's® Live Stentor coeruleus Culture

This organism is easily recognized by its trumpet-shape and blue coloration. It is quite large (approx. 2 mm) and is a good option for students that are just starting to look at the microscopic world.

• Large and easy for inexperienced students to see
• Reproduces both sexually and asexually
• Compare to Vorticella for differences in cilia arrangement
• Vital-Staining is available for this culture
• Cytoplasmic elements are stained blue on your live culture to allow for better visibility
• Skip the wet-mount, this specimen is available as a set of 5 Readyslides

Stentor is a heterotrich, with different cilial structures on different areas of their cell. They have cilia on the rim of the trumpet, for feeding, but they also have them along their body, allowing them to move from place to place.

Ordering information: Cultures feature a macronucleus as well as a micronucleus. The Macronucleus (which looks like a string of beads) regulates asexual reproduction mechanisms, and the micronucleus aids with sexual reproduction, or conjugation. They are typically found attached to substrates, so they usually adhere to the walls and floor of the specimen jar. They feed on bacteria or other protozoa. Genus: Stentor. Species: coeruleus.