Family Cochliopodiidae de Saedeleer, 1934

For this Amoeba see the excellent website of the world famous amoeba specialist Ferry Siemensma.

"DIAGNOSIS: Amoebae partially enclosed within a flexible cuticle or wall (tectum) usually covered with microscales (Cochliopodium) or with a dorsal fibrous cell coat without scales (Ovalopodium). The covering is open along the region of attachment to the substratum; with no well-defined aperture.

Amoebae in this family have been classified as testate amoebae by Page (1987b) but are included in this chapter because they resemble euamoebae at the light microscope level. Typically they have a distinct hyaline zone often with short subpseudopodia, and a prominent central granular hump."

Chestnut and the Motic Panthera U

While looking through my new stock of prepared slides, I came across this specimen, a section of a petiole of the Castanea sativa. The Castanea sativa or European chestnut is widespread in Europe and Asia, meanwhile also in other temperate zones. The chestnuts are consumed since ancient times by people. The tree can become very old.

It was not necessary to take multiple photos of the object and stack it. The coupe was cut perfectly flat. The section is stained according to the Wacker 3A procedure (Acridine red -Acriflavin - Astra blue).

Iodine, indispensable

For the photo, a tiny grain of iodine was applied over an object slide with a cover slip on top. After gently melting it over a spirit flame and then solidifying, a crystal structure appears, which can be seen with the help of polarization.

Daphnias - Some of the smallest and most common crustaceans

We all know some of the bigger crustaceans like shrimps, lobsters and crabs. But far from all crustaceans are as large as these. Daphnias are some of the smallest crustaceans in the world and can be found in almost all ponds, streams, lakes and other freshwater habitats. Their size ranges from a few hundred microns to around 5 mm for the largest species. Like other crustaceans, daphnias are covered in a hard exoskeleton for protection. Underneath this tough exterior are organs like a heart, a digestive tract, reproductive organs, an eye and a primitive brain. And because daphnias are mostly transparent, it's easy to observe their anatomy on your own.

In the back of the animal is a cavity used for protection of their embryos as they develop. After a few days the babies are fully developed, able to swim and feed, and ready to enter the real world. At some point the mother will lift her foot creating a small opening for the babies to swim out of. In a matter of days, the newborn are ready to reproduce themselves and these animals are therefore able to multiply rapidly when conditions are right.

The embryos on the left are fairly new, but the embryos on the right 

have developed eyes, are able to move and ready to be born

Widespread

Bryum argenteum or Silver moss is perhaps the most widespread moss in the world, although in many regions it is found primarily in human settlements. It is prevalent in atmospherically polluted areas. It can be found in large cities on tarred roads, on concrete structures (e.g. between paving stones, at the bases of walls, on roofs and windowsills) on soil as well as in waste areas, but also in more natural habitats.

What’s in a rat’s eye

The photos show various parts of the rat's eye. There are many similarities between the eyes of the rat and those of humans, but also some striking differences. A few of these are mentioned here.

The eyeball of the rat’s eye can be rotated to change the viewing direction without having to turn the head. What is special is that rats can move both eyes in opposite directions. This both horizontally and vertically. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute found this out in 2013 and were able to record this using high-speed cameras. They are able to keep an eye on the sky while also looking forward. They can interpret a double field of view. Probably this has evolved in the wild to deal with great threat to raptors.