Buetschlia minuta, Gürelli, 2019

Gürelli, Gözde, 2019, New Entodiniomorphid Ciliates, Buetschlia minuta n. sp., B. cirrata n. sp., Charonina elephanti n. sp., from Asian Elephants of Turkey, Zootaxa 4545 (3), pp. 419-433 : 422-423

Buetschlia minuta n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0456E907-04E3-48C4-962F-FE4BFA25E0E2

Description. The body is ovoid in shape and tapers gradually to the anterior end. The anterior end is truncated, and the posterior end is rounded. The cytostome is at the anterior end of the body and surrounded by long, fine cilia, forming the adoral ciliary zone. The cytoproct is at the posterior end of the body. The macronucleus and micronucleus are ovoid in shape, and the micronucleus adheres to various sides of the macronucleus. The position of macronucleus is not constant in the body. A concretion vacuole is present in the anterior one third of the body and below the adoral ciliary zone. A contractile vacuole is present in the posterior end of the body, near the cytoproct. The anterior two thirds of the body has somatic ciliary rows ( Table 1, Figures 1a , 2 , 3 ).

Habitat, type host, and locality. The hindgut of Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus ) in Gaziantep Zoo, Gaziantep, Turkey. Etymology. The name minuta is given because of the very small dimensions of the ciliate. Type material. The specimens are held in the endocommensal ciliates of herbivores collection in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey. Holotype and paratypes are on the slide numbered as EIC-3.

Remarks. B. minuta n. sp. is distinguishable from other Buetschlia species by its somatic ciliary rows at the anterior two thirds of the body.

Infraciliature of B. minuta n. sp. An adoral polybrachykinety, in which each kinety extends obliquely to the longitudinal body axis, completely encircles the cytostome. Paralabial kineties are four in number and overlie slightly obliquely the concretion vacuole immediately posterior to the adoral polybrachykinety. Paralabial kineties have short, modified cilia, and the number of cilia varies from two to seven. The thin pellicular fold is between paralabial kineties. Somatic kineties are three to four in number in one part of the body, and each somatic kinety has five to eight cilia ( Figures 1b , 2 , 3 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Schematic figures of Buetschlia minuta n. sp., a—in MFS, b—after pyridinated silver carbonate impregnation. ACZ, adoral ciliary zone; AP, adoral polybrachykinety; C, cytostome; CP, cytoproct; CTV, concretion vacuole; CV, contractile vacuole; MA, macronucleus; MI, micronucleus; PK, paralabial kineties; SCR, somatic ciliary rows; SK, somatic kineties.

FIGURE 2. Photomicrographs of B. minuta n. sp., a—in MFS, b-c-d—after pyridinated silver carbonate impregnation. ACZ, adoral ciliary zone; AP, adoral polybrachykinety; C, cytostome; CP, cytoproct; CV, contractile vacuole; MA, macronucleus; MI, micronucleus; SCR, somatic ciliary rows.

FIGURE 3. SEM images of B. minuta n. sp. ACZ, adoral ciliary zone; PK, paralabial kineties (arrowhead), SCR, somatic ciliary rows.