Conidophrys fucatum ( Averinzeff, 1916 ) Averinzeff, 1916

Dovgal, Igor & Mayén-Estrada, Rosaura, 2015, A taxonomic revision of order Pilisuctorida (Ciliophora, Apostomatia) with keys to the subordinate taxa, Zootaxa 4040 (5), pp. 543-558 : 549-551

Conidophrys fucatum ( Averinzeff, 1916) comb. n., charact. emend.

( Fig. 1 A–D, 3A–G, 4B–D)

Mycodinium fucatum Averinzeff, 1916: 183

Conidophrys pilisuctor Chatton et Lwoff, 1934: 697 , syn. n. Mycodinium pilisuctor (Chatton et Lwoff, 1934) Jankowski, 2007: 880 , syn. n.

Parasites attached to secretory setae of amphipod crustaceans, feeds on host exudate. The trophont body subcylindrical, elongated, somewhat tapered towards their union with long seta, and fully enclosed by cyst. When the ciliate attachs to a short host seta, the latter is completely covered by the lower thickened part of the cyst. The trophont infraciliature consists of two lateral fields each of them with six sub-longitudinal kineties. Single proximal contractile vacuole at the opposite edge of the body attachment area. There is one macronucleus and one micronucleus. Reproduction by successive linear division (palintomy), producing 1 to 3 (in rare cases from 5 to 6) swarmers. Discoidal swarmers, with a deep depression at the antapical region. Tomite ciliature with 1 to 5 kineties placed on the periphery of the body.

Measurements (in µm): Trophont body length 37.1–88.5 (mean 61.5) (50–60 after Chatton and Lwoff, 1934); body diameter 13.0–32.0 (mean 20.2) (about 15 after Chatton and Lwoff, 1934); cyst wall thickness 0.8–3.6 (mean 2.1) (about 2 after Chatton and Lwoff, 1934).

Type host: Caprella sp.

Type locality: the Adriatic Sea near Trieste ( Italy).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ciliates of genus Conidophrys described by different authors. A— Mycodinium fucatum; B—trophont of Conidophrys pilisuctor; C—tomite of C. pilisuctor (lateral view); D—individual at the short seta of Jassa falcata; Eindividual of C. guttipotor at the short seta of Sphaeroma serratum; F—individual at the host non-secretory seta; G—trophont of Conidophrys sp. from Jaera albifrons with developing tomites (Mac—macronucleus; Mic—micronucleus; Cytcytopharynx): H—cucurbitoid stage of developing trophont from J. albifrons; I—the stalk and its base; J— Conidophrys enkystotrophos; K—trophont of C. pіtelkae, left lateral view; L—trophont of C. pіtelkae, right lateral view; M—young trophont of C. pіtelkae; N—ventral view of C. pіtelkae tomite (X—tube; Cy—cytostome). (A—modified from Averinzeff 1916: B-F—modified from Chatton and Lwoff 1936; G-I—modified from Jones and Khan 1970; J—modified from Jankowski 1972; K-N—modified from Bradbury 1975).