Ciliophrys infusionum Cienkowski, 1876

Lee, Won Je & Patterson, David J., 2000, Heterotrophic flagellates (Protista) from marine sediments of Botany Bay, Australia, Journal of Natural History 34, pp. 483-562 : 538-539

Ciliophrys infusionum Cienkowski, 1876

(fi gure 20h)

Description. Helioflagellate, in the heliozoan stage the cell measures about 5 Mm across, with a central nucleus and one fl agellum held in a fi gure of eight. The cell is spherical with delicate pseudopodia extending radially from the body and bearing extrusomes. The cell may change from the heliozoan stage with pseudopodia and a slow beating fl agellum to a swimming fl agellate without pseudopodia and with the fl agellum beating rapidly. Observed to consume suspended bacteria. When feeding, bacteria adhere to the pseudopodia and then are drawn to the body. One cell observed in enrichment culture.

Remarks. Ciliophrys marina Caullery, 1909 and Dimorpha monomastix Penard, 1921 are synonyms of this species. Ciliophrys infusionum has been found in marine sites in SE North America, subtropical and tropical Australia, Denmark, England, English Channel, Fiji, Gulf of Finland, Hawaii, Mediterranean, Norway and equatorial Paci fi c, and lengths of 3.5-20 Mm have been reported ( Caullery, 1909; Griessmann, 1913; Throndsen, 1969; Davidson, 1982; Larsen and Patterson, 1990; Vørs, 1992a, 1992b; Vørs et al., 1995; Patterson and Simpson, 1996; Tong, 1997 a, 1997b; Tong et al., 1998). Generally, the cell described here is in agreement with observations by Larsen and Patterson (1990). This species is similar to Massisteria marina Larsen and Patterson, 1990 , but can be distinguished by its regular symmetry, its stiff pseudopodia, by not being adpressed to the substratum and in having one fl agellum. It resembles small heliozoa in having pseudopodia extending radially from the body, but is distinguished by having a fl agellum.