Ref ID : 7255
Nicola Ricci and Franco Verni; Motor and predatory behavior of Litonotus lamella (Protozoa, Ciliata). Can.J.Zool. 66:1973-1981, 1988
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The ethogram of Litonotus lamella is described and discussed. Individuals of the species creep on the substrate at a velocity of 189+/-40 µm/sec, moving toward the right along geometrically perfect arcs with different radii, lengths, and amplitudes. The arcs are connected by four types of reaction: the continuous trajectory change, the smooth trajectory change, the rough trajectory change, and the side-stepping reaction. Litonotus lamella swims along a helicoid, keeping its ciliated surface outwards. Under appropriate conditions, L. lamella kills, engulfs, and eats the ciliate Euplotes crassus. This predatory behavior consists of two different sets of behavioral patterns; the first is part of the normal motor behavior, while the second comprises behavioral patterns performed characteristically and exclusively during the predatory activity.