Microorganisms
Frontonia acuminata
Species name
Species name
What it looks like:
You cannot hear or feel protozoa. It looked like a clear oval, with an obvious pigment spot and organelles. Cilia active and fast beating, it moved rapidly in its endless hunt for food. You can see diatoms inside of it being digested.
Observed Habitat/Behavior
Swimming around, likely cruising like a shark for prey. It was also digesting two diatoms it must have captured fairly recently. One diatom is clearly visible (the large greenish blob near its front end), the other had already been fully digested as only its inedible silicate shell remained.(harder to see, located near the other diatom.
Photo/observer: Ethan
Natural History
Frontania species are fascinating! They are like bigger versions of Paramecium, except instead of filter-feeding on bacteria, it hunts down and kills Diatoms, Algae, and Testate (shelled) Amoebas. It's a Protist! I ID’d it with the book “How to Know the Protozoa” As well as Inaturalist.
Arcella Vulgaris
No Common Name
Photo/observer: (first name only)
What it looks like:
Describe only what you noticed or saw.
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Observed Habitat/Behavior
Describe only what you observed at the time. For example, where did you see it when you observed it? What was it doing when you observed it?
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Massachusetts Conservation Status
How common is it in Massachusetts? Is it listed on the Massachusetts list of endangered species?
Use this site to find out:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/list-of-endangered-threatened-and-special-concern-species
Massachusetts Native Status
Is it native or introduced to Massachusetts? If it's introduced, is it considered invasive?
Natural History
Include any background information about the organism that you know and can back up with either online or written sources. This helpful information is something you didn't discover yourself (even if you observed signs that support it), because it is based on observations researchers made about many individuals or an entire population. This may include helpful information about species diet, life cycle/breeding, habitat, current range in North America, or predators/threats.
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You must include the source of your information. Even if you own the knowledge, you must provide a source that supports your research.
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Source: (full name of book, article, or website where background information was found)
Vacuolaria virescens
What it looks like:
It was three small green blobs (one out of focus in the picture) one blob appeared to be dissolving for some reason. These are actually a fairly rare species, and they rarely are found in great numbers.These are so rare, in fact, that I was the first person to observe it on inaturalist, and as such my photo
I took is now the official photo for the species on inaturalist. I think that's really cool,especially because I wasn't expecting such a rare species in my pond water.
Observed Habitat/Behavior
In a stagnant area of a stream
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Photo/observer: Ethan
Natural History
Sessilda Spp.
No Common Name
What it looks like:
An oval shaped "head" at the end of a long stalk.
Observed Habitat/Behavior
It would move its "head" around to sense its enviroment. It would sometimes suddenly retract, coiling up its stalk.
Natural History
Sessilda and its relatives navigate around with its head, searching for food. Upon sensing stimuli, it will retract and coil up.
Source: How To Know The Protozoa by Theodore Louis Jahn
Photo/observer: Ethan