Comment of Opalina:
Habit and Habitat of Opalina:
Opalina is a parasite that lives in frogs’ and toads’ rectums.
Comments on Opalina:
1. It is constantly called rectal ciliate.
2. It has an oval form that is flattened and slightly narrower in the anterior than the posterior and coated in a thin pellicle.
3. The cilia that cover the body are evenly spaced, parallel rows that run the length of the body.
4. The pellicle is evenly dispersed by countless cilia of equal size that are positioned in a small group of longitudinal grooves.
5. Its cytoplasm is divided into an inner endoplasm and an exterior ectoplasm.
6. Endoplasm contains many nuclei..
7. Myonemes, a type of contractile fiber, are found in ectoplasm.
8. Absent are the peristome, cytostome, gullet, and contractile vacuole.
9. Food is absorbed from the host’s contents through the body’s surface as a whole.
10. Reproduction both sexual and asexual.
11. They are saprozoic and feed on dead things, which points to their commensal role.
Economic Importance:
- Endoparasite of frogs and toads.
Diagram of Opalina
