Stentor coeruleus

Stentor coeruleus is a protist in the family Stentoridae which is characterized by being a very large ciliate that measures 0.5 to 2 millimetres when fully extended.



S. coeruleus specifically appears as a very large trumpet. It contains a macronucleus that looks like a string of beads that are contained within a ciliate that is blue to blue-green in color. It has the ability to contract into a ball through the contraction of its many myonemes.

Stentor coeruleus is known for its regenerative abilities. When this organism is cut in half, each half is able to regenerate a cell that has its normal anatomy provided that each cut part includes some of the macro-nucleus. It feeds by means of cilia that carry food into the gullet.

DNA
The genetic code is the standard code, and not the usual form for ciliates. The introns are unusually small, only 15 or 16 nucleotides long.

Reproduction
S. coeruleus is capable of sexual reproduction, or conjugation, but primarily reproduces asexually by binary fission.