Notosolenus adamas Lee and Patterson, 2000

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 : 508

Notosolenus adamas Lee and Patterson , n. sp.

(fi gures 9a, 10a, b. Type micrograph: fi gure 10b)

Diagnosis. Notosolenus , cell diamond-shaped about 14 Mm long and 9-12 Mm wide, with a narrow ventral groove.

Description. Colourless euglenid with diamond-shaped or rhomboid hyaline body. About 14 Mm long and 9-12 Mm wide, dorso-ventrally fl attened. The anterior fl agellum is slightly longer than the cell. The posterior fl agellum is about 0.5 times the cell length and emerges subapically at the end of a narrow median ventral groove. The reservoir is situated in the right side of the cell and the nucleus is in the left side. Small granules are often seen under the cell surface. Cells move slowly by gliding with the anterior fl agellum directed anteriorly and with most motion at the tip of the anterior fl agellum which moves actively. Rarely observed.

Remarks. This species has the characteristics of Notosolenus in being a rigid heterotrophic euglenid, being fl attened, and in having two fl agella emerging from a canal which opens subapically, moving by gliding, and with no visible mouth. It is distinguished from most other species of Notosolenus and Petalomonas by the cell shape. It is most similar to N. rhombicus Larsen, 1987. Larsen (1987) did not agree that the organisms referred to as N. obliquus ( Klebs, 1893) Skuja, 1939 by Skuja (1939) were the same species as the organisms described for its basionym, Petalomona s inēxa var. obliqua Klebs, 1893 . Larsen therefore provided a new name for the taxon observed by Skuja and himself. Notosolenu s adamas is distinguished from N. rhombicu s because the nucleus is not located posteriorly but near the equator and to the left, because it is fl at, and because there is no anterior collar. This species resembles N. papilio (see Skuja, 1939) from freshwater in general shape and in having no dorsal ridges. Notosolenus papilio also has a short anterior neck. Notosolenus pentagonu s (see Playfair, 1921) is similar to N. adamas in having a hyaline body, but is distinguished by its bigger size (about 21 Mm), long posterior fl agellum, and pentagonal cell shape. Notosolenus adamas resembles N. scutulum Larsen and Patterson, 1990 in size and in having a ventral groove, but can be distinguished because N. scutulum also has one deep dorsal groove. Notosolenus adamas is broadest in the middle of the cell, while N. scutulum is broader more posteriorly.