Ne present an application of circular-harmonic filters (CHF's) for the
recognition of planktonic microorganisms discriminated both genera Ac
artia and Calanus. The symmetry of genus Acartia permitted discriminat
ion to the species and sex levels, whereas the asymmetry of the genus
Calanus permitted discrimination only to the generic level. The differ
ences among organisms of different sex of the genus Calanus could not
be detected by these particular CHF's. More research needs to be carri
ed out with more complex CHF's to enhance their performance and to per
mit the implementation of an automated optodigital system to identify
and count marine microorganisms. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America