Nematocystis indicus, Bandyopadhyay, Probir K., Mitra, Amlan Kumar & Bhowmik, Biplab, 2006

Bandyopadhyay, Probir K., Mitra, Amlan Kumar & Bhowmik, Biplab, 2006, Nematocystis indicus sp. nov. (Apicomplexa: Monocystidae) from an Indian earthworm (Annelida: Oligochaeta) Perionyx excavatus (Perrier), Zootaxa 1296, pp. 63-68 : 65

Nematocystis indicus sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–4 )

Gamont Length (GL) 172.0–400.0 µm (257.0± 65.0 µm); Gamont Width (GW) 18.0–49.0 µm (25.0± 9.0 µm); Nucleus Length (NL) 18.0–26.0 µm (20.0± 3.3 µm); Nucleus Width (NW) 9.0–11.0 µm (9.5± 0.8 µm); Gametocyst Diameter (GD) 48.0–68.0 µm (56.0± 1.3 µm); Oocyst Length (OL) 7.0–11.5 µm (9.3± 1.1 µm).

Gamonts are elongated, with a cylindrical main body and a short wider anterior portion which contains the small nucleus. Both the ends are gradually narrowed like a ‘V’ to a nearly pointed tip. The anterior one­third of the cell is approximately two times wider than the posterior portion. Body length varies from 172.0–400.0 µm (257.0± 65.0 µm). The maximum body width ranges from 18.0–49.0 µm (25.0± 9.0 µm) while the average body width ranges from 5.5 –11.0 µm (7.0± 1.5 µm). Ectoplasm is thin, hyaline, about 1.0–2.0 µm wide. The width of ectoplasm is greatest at the anterior tip where it is 5.0–6.0 µm in thickness. At the posterior end the thickness of the ectoplasm is 1.5–2.0 µm. Endoplasm is finely granular. Within the endoplasm very small spindle­shaped paraglycogen reserve granules of about 1.0 µm by 0.5 µm size have been observed. Nucleus is small, slightly elongate, measuring 18.0–26.0 x 9.0–11.0 µm, having karyosome diffused throughout the nucleoplasm, enclosed within a nuclear membrane. Gametocyst almost rounded with two almost equal gametocytes. Dimension of the gametocyst ranges from 48.0–68.0 µm (56.0± 1.3 µm). Oocysts biconical, measuring 7.0–11.5 µm (9.3± 11.0 µm). Taxonomic summary

Type Host: Perionyx excavatus (Perrier)

Location of the parasite: Seminal vesicles of the host.

Type Locality: Sandeshkhali, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India

Symbiotype: Host PE 03– 16/11/2004 deposited in the museum of the Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, West Bengal, India.

Type specimens: Syntypes on the slides no. NI/04, NI/12 and NI/ 14 are deposited in the Museum of the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata­700016 (Registration no. 2901, 2903, 2904).

Etymology: The species Nematocystis indicus sp. nov. has been named after our motherland, India.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Photomicrographs of different stages of the life cycle of Nematocystis indicus sp. nov. obtained from seminal vesicles of Perionyx excavatus (Perrier). 1. A gamont (scale bar = 100 µm); 2. Enlarged view of the anterior end of a gamont (scale bar = 50 µm); 3. A gametocyst (scale bar = 50 µm); 4. Oocysts (scale bar = 10 µm).