Ciliates, a group of single-celled ciliated eukaryotes, have been studied since the dawn of light microscopy, with over 10,000 species described. Cilia are the key feature of ciliates and contribute to their diversity. They vary in length, covering the cell surface or specific parts, or can bundle to form cirri. Staining cilia and basal bodies is a common procedure in ciliate morphology research, using techniques like silver impregnation and immunofluorescence staining with antibodies associated with tubulin.
