Cosmocolpoda
Colpodida (ref. ID; 4843)
- Cosmocolpoda naschbergeri Foissner, 1993 (ref. ID; 4843)
Descriptions
This small (in vivo 40-70x30-60 um), bacteria feeding ciliate has a roughly triangular (trophonts) to ovoid (theronts) shape, a single macronucleus and micronucleus near the centre of the cell, and a contractile vacuole in the posterior end. The somatic ciliary rows course slightly to distinctly spirally and are composed of paired basal bodies; the anterior basal body of the dikinetids is nonciliated, with the exception of the condensed anteriormost 2-4 dikinetids in the right lateral kineties. The cortex is deeply furrowed by the somatic kineties and ornamented ladder-like by conspicuous crests with extend between the somatic ciliary rows. The crests are regularly spaced and 1-2 um high, and thus easily recognizable even in live cells. The small oral apparatus is near the ventral anterior end and composed of two distinct ciliary fields. The left field ist narrow-rectangular and consists of 5-8 short, equidistantly spaced ciliary rows. The right field is triangular and composed of about 7 curved kineties with slightly disordered basal bodies and a row of dikinetids on the dorsal margin. The silverline meshes are narrow-rectangular and the horizontal lines extend in the cortical crests. (ref. ID; 4843)
Comments
It is unique in having conspicuous cortical crests forming a ladder-like pattern between the ciliary rows. However, its somatic and oral infraciliature is very similar to that known from small members of the genus Colpoda, e.g. C. maupasi. (ref. ID; 4843)
Type locality
Inhabits sandy, saline soils on the Caribbean Sea coast of Costa Rica, Central America. (ref. ID; 4843)