Psammosa unguis ( Patterson and Simpson 1996 ) nov. comb., 1996

Lee, Won Je, 2015, Small Free-Living Heterotrophic Flagellates from Marine Sediments of Gippsland Basin, South-Eastern Australia, Acta Protozoologica 54 (1), pp. 53-76 : 61

Psammosa unguis ( Patterson and Simpson 1996) nov. comb.

( Figs 1d , 2w )

Observation: Cell outline bean-shaped, 8 to 13 µm long and somewhat flattened. The cells may have longitudinal lines of granules. Two flagella insert at right angles on one flat side about one third of the way down the cell. The anterior flagellum is nearly the length of the cell, inserts at the end of a deep, triangular curving depression, and is directed laterally and posteriorly. The posterior flagellum inserts at the top of a shallow longitudinal groove and is about 2 times the cell length. The cells typically swim rapidly, usually in contact with the substrate. The cells erratically flip from one side to the other when swimming. Not common.

Remarks: Patterson and Simpson (1996) described Colpodella unguis from the marine sediment of Shark Bay, Australia and assigned to Colpodella with some uncertainty. In respect of general appearance, size and flagellar orientation, the organisms from the present site agree well with Patterson and Simpson’s description. Body form and flagellar orientation of this species agree well with the genus Psammosa , and thus Colpodella unguis is here transferred to Psammosa . This species has been reported from marine sites in Australia and Korea ( Patterson and Simpson 1996; Al-Qassab et al. 2002; Lee 2002b, 2006b), with cell length from 7 to 10 µm, under the name Colpodella unguis. It resembles Psammosa pacifica Okamoto et al. 2012 in general appearance, cell length and shape. Further study is required to establish the identities of these species.

Figures

Fig. 1. a – Chilomastix cuspidata, b – Rhynchopus amitus, c – Spironema multiciliatum, d – Psammosa unguis nov. comb., e – Apusomonas sp., f – Rhynchobodo formica, g – Mantamonas plastica, h – Roombia truncata, i – Thaumatomastix setifera, j – Ancyromonas impluvium nov. spec., k – Helkesimastix faecicola, l – Kurnaimonas celerisnov. spec., m – Sinistermonas sinistrorsus nov. spec., n – Kiitoksia kaloista, o – Protist ‘1’. Scale bar: 10 µm for all figures.

Fig. 2. a – Chilomastix cuspidata, showing general appearance of cell; b – Goniomonas amphinema, showing general appearance of cell; c – G. pacifica, note two flagella diverging; d – Percolomonas similis, note ventral groove; e – Bodo platyrhynchus; f – Neobodo curvifilus; g – N. saliens; h–i – Hemistasia phaeocysticola, note a papillum (arrow); j – Bordnamonas tropicana, showing general appearance and mouth (arrow); k – Rhynchomonas nasuta; l–o – Rhynchobodo simius; l – tubular ingestion organelle (arrow); m, o – showing groove; n – general appearance of cell; p–q – Rhynchopus amitus; r–s – Spironema multiciliatum; t – Amastigomonas debruynei, general appearance of cell; u – Amastigomonas mutabilis, note anterior flagellum projecting from sleeve and recurrent flagellum; v – Apusomonas sp.; w – Psammosa unguis nov. comb., general appearance of cell; x–y – Mantamonas plastica; x – note anterior flagellum (arrow) and y – ventral depression.All micrographs are DIC images. Scale bar: 5 µm for all figures.