Stylonychia

Stylonychia is a genus of ciliate, included among the stichotrichs. It is very common in fresh water and soil, found on filamentous algae, surface films, and among particles of sediment. They can also be found swimming on and through decaying vegetation and pond scum floating through the water. Like its relatives, Stylonychia has cilia grouped into membranelles alongside the mouth and cirri over the body. It is distinguished partly by long cirri at the posterior, usually a cluster of three. The largest can just be seen at a 25x magnification, and the smallest can just be seen at a 450x magnification.They are carnivorous and prey on other protozoans and bacteria, such as Urocentrum.