Apotrachelotractus variabialis Long, Song and Warren, 2009

Long, Hongan, Song, Weibo, Al-Rasheid, Khaled A. & Gong, Jun, 2009, Three marine haptorid ciliates from northern China: Paraspathidium apofuscum n. sp., Trachelotractus entzi (Kahl, 1927) Foissner, 1997 and Apotrachelotractus variabialis Long, Song and Warren, 2009 (Protozoa, Ciliophora), Journal of Natural History 43 (29 - 32), pp. 1749-1761 : 1756-1759

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222930902781038

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/190A8793-4B0F-1D27-FEC4-FCDB32BFFAA9

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Apotrachelotractus variabialis Long, Song and Warren, 2009
status

 

Apotrachelotractus variabialis Long, Song and Warren, 2009

( Figures 5–7 View Figure 5 View Figure 6 View Figure 7 ; Table 2)

Remarks

Long et al. (2009) established the genus Apotrachelotractus but provided only a brief description of the type species A. variabialis . Here, we supply some supplementary information including morphometric data and detailed descriptions of certain structures.

Redescription

Body contractile and flexible, vermiform in shape. Body size variable, ca. 290–500 × 25–35 µm in vivo when contracted and about 800–1700 × 15–20 µm in vivo when extended. On average, 335 × 40 µm after fixation ( Figure 5A–E View Figure 5 ). Head usually globular, sometimes full of dark granules ( Figures 5A, C View Figure 5 , 6C View Figure 6 , 7J View Figure 7 ). Macronuclear nodules rod-like, 500–700 in number, distributed throughout cell trunk ( Figures 6D, 6E View Figure 6 , 7L View Figure 7 ). Single contractile vacuole terminally located, irregularly rounded, 30 µm in diameter ( Figures 6D View Figure 6 , 7A, 7D–F View Figure 7 ). Contractile vacuole pore at posterior end of body ( Figures 5C, 5E View Figure 5 , 6A, 6D View Figure 6 , 7E View Figure 7 ). Three types of extrusomes exist: (1) perioral extrusomes ca. 22 µm long ( Figure 7K View Figure 7 ); (2) fribril-like extrusomes in neck region, about 10 µm long; (3) needle-like somatic extrusomes, ca. 20 µm long ( Figures 6D View Figure 6 , 7C View Figure 7 ). Cytoplasm hyaline, containing numerous small food vacuoles (<12 µm). Somatic cilia ca. 6 µm long in vivo.

Cells usually float in water, rotating around their long axis and continuously transforming their shape ( Figure 5A–E View Figure 5 ); sometimes crawling among sand grains, slightly thigmotactic.

Buccal apparatus funnel-like, apically located, with long posterior nematodesmata ( Figures 6F–I View Figure 6 , 7K View Figure 7 ). Cytostome encircled by perioral kinety ( Figures 6F, 6H View Figure 6 , 7B View Figure 7 ).

Infraciliature as shown in Figure 6A, 6B, 6F–I View Figure 6 . Twenty-three to 30 somatic kineties on cell trunk, each composed of monokinetids below neck and dikinetids above neck ( Figures 6A, 6B, 6F–I View Figure 6 , 7H, 7I View Figure 7 ). One brush kinety located in neck region, consisting of 60–100 kinetosomes arranged in about 20–30 groups of three kinetosomes. Brush kinety difficult to discern when located on cell margin ( Figures 6F, 6H View Figure 6 , 7H View Figure 7 ). Suture on cell neck conspicuous, ca. seven kineties from brush kinety ( Figures 6F, 6G, 6I View Figure 6 , 7G View Figure 7 ; Table 2).

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