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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Grossglockneria

Grossglockneria Foissner, 1980 (ref. ID; 7706)

Class Colpodea (ref. ID; 7466)
Colpodida: Suborder Grossglocknerina Foissner, 1980 (ref. ID; 7706)
  1. Grossglockneria acuta Foissner, 1980 (ref. ID; 2128, 2288, 2350, 4692) reported year? (ref. ID; 4842) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 7466)
  2. Grossglockneria hyalina Foissner, 1985 (ref. ID; 4692 original paper, 4861) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 7466)
  3. Grossglockneria ovata Foissner, 1999 (ref. ID; 7466 original paper)

Grossglockneria ovata Foissner, 1999 (ref. ID; 7466 original paper)

Diagnosis

Size in vivo about 40x27 um; distinctly ovate. Cortex smooth and with sparse, irregularly-shaped mucocysts around ciliary bases. 10 somatic and 3 adoral kineties. (ref. ID; 7466)

Descriptions

Size in vivo 35-50x20-35 um, usually about 40x27 um, as calculated from some measurements of live specimens and values shown in Table 1, assuming a shrinkage of about 5% due to the preparation procedures; non-contractile and unflattened. Shape very constant and highly characteristic, that is, distinctly ovate with dorsal side slightly more convex than ventral; rarely broadly ellipsoidal or slenderly ovate. Macronucleus in middle third of body, globular to slightly ellpsoidal, with reticulate nucleolus in central area. Micronucleus attached to macronucleus, lenticular, about 3.5x2 um in vivo. Contractile vacuole in rear end, with single excretory pore in centre of posterior pole. Cortex inconspicuous, flexible, not, or indistinctly furrowed by ciliary rows and thus smooth. Extrusomes (very likely mucocysts) mainly around bases of cilia, sparse and flaky, 0.5-1.5 um across, very inconspicuous in vivo but impregnated darkly with protargol and lilac after application of methyl green-pyronin. Cytoplasm invariably packed with globular to irregular, bright, compact food inclusions (contents of fungal hyphae), 1-10 um (usually 3-6 um) across, making cells almost black at low magnification (< /_100x); between food inclusions numerous minute (< /_1 um) crystals sparkling under interference contrast illumination. Movement inconspicuous, glides quickly on slides, interrupted by short periods of rotation; but does not jump like Pseudoplatyophrya saltans. Somatic cilia in vivo about 10 um long, usually paired, arranged in 10 strongly spiralling kineties, of which about 5 curve around right side of oral apparatus to form indistinct preoral suture with postoral kineties at left side of oral apparatus; no elongated caudal cilia. Dikinetidal bases large and irregularly shaped after silver nitrate impregnation, possibly due to parasomal sacs and/or mucocysts. Silverline system colpodida, that is, with distinct lines extending between kineties. Oral area subapical and circular, minute, slightly concave. Feeding tube about 3x2 um in vivo. Three adoral kineties composed of 2, 3, 2 basal bodies with about 5-um-long cilia forming a rather distinct bundle. Paroral membrane semicircular, composed of about 23 narrowly-spaced basal bodies with 5-um-long cilia forming rather conspicuous membrane in vivo; invariably composed of two rows of granules in silver nitrate prepared specimens, very likely due to parasomal sacs at left side of kinetids. (ref. ID; 7466)

Notes

Two other Grossglockneria species are known: G. acuta and G. hyalina, whose somatic and oral infraciliature are very similar to that of G. ovata. Thus, species distinction depends on other characters, such as body shape and the number and distinctiveness of the extrusomes. Admittedly, these features are not very conspicuous but, nevertheless, serve to separate live specimens unequivocally. Grossglockneria acuta is easily distinguished from G. ovata by its more slender shape, especially the tapered anterior portion, the usually distinctly furrowed (by the ciliary rows) surface, and the mucocysts, which form conspicuous stripes. Grossglockneria hyalina differs from G. ovata by the distinctly furrowed cortex and the obovate, fusiform or roughly triangular shape, which is distinctly different from the highly characteristic ovate shape of G. ovata. In vivo and at low magnification (< /_100x), G. ovata is easily confused with Mykophagophrys terricola, which has a similar shape and is also often darkened by food inclusions. However, M. terricola is smaller (25-35x12-20 um) than G. ovata (35-50x20-35 um) and has a conspicuous, bright fringe due to many narrowly spaced, ellipsoidal extrusomes, which become nail-shaped when extruded. Furthermore, the infraciliature is different. Pseudoplatyophrya saltans has the same body shape as G. ovata but is distinctly smaller (14-20x10-15 um vs. 35-50x20-35 um, respectively) and has a highly characteristic, jumping movement; in silver slides, it can be distinguished from G. ovata by its different infraciliature. (ref. ID; 7466)

Occurrence and ecology

Grossglockneria ovata as yet, was found only at the type location where it appeared 2 days after rewetting the sample. It was associated with three other grossglockenriids, namely, Pseudoplatyophrya nana, P. saltans, and Nivaliella plana, which were readily distinguishable from G. ovata but their smaller size; no specimens resembling G. acuta or G. hyalina were observed; I observed a few specimens attached to fungal hyphae by the feeding tube. (ref. ID; 7466)

Etymology

"ovata" (Latin) because of its distinct egg shape. (ref. ID; 7466)

Type location

Leaf litter from Lackawanna State Forest (intersection of Pittston Road and Sassafras Hill Road), north of Scranton, Pennsylvania. USA (about lat 41 degrees N, long 76 degrees W). (ref. ID; 7466)

Type material

Two holotype slides (one Chatton-Lwoff silver nitrate-impregnated, the other protargol-impregnated) and two paratype slides (one Chatton-Lwoff silver nitrate-impregnated, the other protargol-impregnated) have been deposited in the Oberosterreichische Landesmuseum in Linz (LI), Austria, Accession Numbers: 1998/50-53. The slides contain several specimens, with relevant cells marked by a black ink circle on the cover glass. (ref. ID; 7466)