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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Australocirrus

Australocirrus Blatterer & Foissner, 1988 (ref. ID; 4894)

Family Oxytrichidae Ehrenberg, 1838: Subfamily Oxytrichinae Jankowski, 1979 (ref. ID; 4894)

[ref. ID; 4894]
Improved characterization; Adoral zone of membranelles formed like a question mark. Undulating membranes in Oxytricha pattern. Frontoventral cirri form V-shaped pattern. Postoral ventral cirri underneath buccal vertex. Two pretransverse ventral and five transverse cirri. One right and one left row of marginal cirri. More than six dorsal kineties. Caudal cirri present. Dorsal morphogenesis is Oxytricha pattern, however, kinety 3 not with simple but with multiple fragmentation. (ref. ID; 4894)
Remarks; The two species known show multiple fragmentation of dorsal kinety 3, but differ significantly in body flexibility. In the very flexible A. oscitans cirrus V/3 is involved in primordia formation (W.F., unpubl. data), supporting the classification in the Oxytricha branch. By contrast, the body of A. octonucleatus is rigid, indicating some relationship with Sterkiella; however, Sterkiella has simple fragmentation of dorsal kinety 3. (ref. ID; 4894)
Type species (original designation); Australocirrus oscitans Blatterer & Foissner, 1988 (ref. ID; 4894)
  1. Australocirrus oscitans Blatterer & Foissner, 1988 (ref. ID; 4894)
  2. Australocirrus octonucleatus (ref. ID; 4894)