Paramphisella
Paramphisella Foissner, 1988 (ref. ID; 2129), Paramphisiella Foissner, 1988 (ref. ID; 7307)
Family Amphisiellidae Jankowski, 1979 (ref. ID; 7307)
Family Oxytrichidae Ehrenberg, 1838 (ref. ID; 7423)
[ref. ID; 2129]
The oral primordium originates in close contact with the ACR. The ACR commences anlagen formation within-row and originates from two rightmost anlagen. All dorsal kineties develop intrakinetally. One cirrus left of ACR. Transverse cirri longitudinally arranged, originate from single anlage. Caudal cirri present. (ref. ID; 2129)
[ref. ID; 7307]
The ACR originates from two rightmost anlagen. One cirrus left of ACR. Transverse cirri longitudinally arranged, originate from single anlage. Caudal cirri present. Single species. (ref. ID; 7307)
Type species; Paramphisiella caudata (Hemberger, 1985) Foissner, 1988 (ref. ID; 7307)
- Paramphisella caudata (ref. ID; 191)
- Paramphisiella caudata (Hemberger, 1985) Foissner, 1988 (ref. ID; 4861, 7307 redescribed paper, 7423)
Basionym; Uroleptoides caudata (ref. ID; 7423)
Paramphisiella caudata (Hemberger, 1985) Foissner, 1988 (ref. ID; 4861, 7307 redescribed paper, 7423)
Basionym
Uroleptoides caudata (ref. ID; 7423)
Descriptions
Interphase morphology: Lanceolate, in vivo about 150x40 um, posterior end usually more distinctly tapered than anterior. Highly flexible and about 30% contractile. Macronuclear segments in vivo about 10x6 um, usually in left body half. Contractile vacuole above mid-body at left margin, with indistinct collecting canals. Cortical granules in conspicuous longitudinal rows, 1-1.2 um in diameter, colorless. Cytoplasm contains lipid inclusions 1-5 um in diameter, yellowish crystals mainly in posterior portion of body, and food vacuoles with ciliates (Colpoda inflata), heterotrophic flagellates (Polytoma sp.) and bacteria. Movement rather slow and clumsy.
Adoral zone of membranelles about 25% of body length. Bases of membranelles in vivo 7 um, frontal cirri 15 um, marginal and ventral cirri 10 um long. Buccal cavity flat and narrow. Oral lip parallels slightly curved undulating membranes, left edge slightly thickened and wavy. Three enlarged frontal cirri, right cirrus at distal end of adoral zone of membranelles. ACR commences near distal end of adoral zone of membranelles and usually terminates in posterior half of cell near left marginal row. One cirrus left of ACR in frontal field. Buccal cirrus near anterior end of undulating membranes. Transverse cirri arranged longitudinally, difficult to distinguish from marginal and caudal cirri. Right marginal row commences on dorsal surface near anterior end of body; both marginal rows extend to posterior end of cell. Dorsal cilia 3 um long, arranged in 3 rows; kinety 3 in about 80% of specimens posteriorly shortened. Caudal cirri tiny, in vivo 15-20 um long. (ref. ID; 7307)
Divisional morphogenesis: The nuclear apparatus and the marginal rows divide in the usual way and hence require no further comment. (ref. ID; 7307)
- Stage 1. Stomatogenesis commences with the proliferation of basal bodies near the middle portion of the ACR. A large field of basal bodies develops and splits in a larger posterior and a smaller anterior portion; the anterior portion extends to the proximal end of the parental undulating membranes. The ACR appears unchanged. Small streaks of basal bodies develop within the dorsal kineties.
- Stage 2. The large posterior field of basal bodies differentiates adoral membranelles at its anterior end. The small anterior portion generates one short (anlage 1) and two long (anlagen 2 and 3) streaks. The middle streak (anlage 2) extends to the parental buccal cirrus which has disorganized to a short streak of basal bodies. The cirri in the central portion of the ACR disorganize and form a short streak of basal bodies (anlage 4). The rightmost streak (anlage 5) is either generated also by disorganized cirri of the ACR or develops de novo. The organizing center in the ACR is obviously the site where the anterior and posterior portion of the anlagen 4 and 5 aligned in the previous generation. Hemberger (1982 dissertation) depicts a similar stage with all cirral anlagen originating from the central portion of the ACR, whereas our specimens difinitely show that on cirri for the new ACR originate from this portion.
- Stage 3. The opisthe's adoral membranelles differentiate posteriorly. Five long cirral streaks ("primary primordia" (Foissner 1983) are recognizable. Streak 1 contains basal bodies from the disorganizing parental paroral membrane and, possibly, from the opithe's oral primordium. Streak 2 develops from the oral primordium and joins the parental buccal cirral streak. Streak 3 originates from the oral primordium. Streak 4 develops from disaggregating cirri of the anterior segment of the ACR. Streak 5 possibly develops de novo or from the ACR too; streaks 4 and 5 form a V-shaped pattern.
- Stage 4. The primary primordium split in the middle producing 5 anlagen each in proter and opisthe.
- Stage 5. The formation of the opisthe's adoral zone of membranelles is almost complete. The anlage for the undulating membranes split to form the paroral and endoral membrane. The anlagen in the proter and opisthe organize in the same manner. Anlage 1 splits longitudinally to form the paroral and endoral membrane as well as the first frontal cirrus. Anlage 2 develops the buccal cirrus and the second frontal cirrus. Anlage 3 develops the third frontal cirrus and the cirrus between the ACR and the buccal cirrus. Anlage 4 does not migrate and forms the posterior (left) segment of the ACR. Anlage 5 develops the anterior (right) segment of the ACR and the transverse cirri. Occasionally, an additional anlage occurs between the anlagen 3 and 4 (resulting in a total of six anlagen), in one or both filial products to form one or two additional frontal cirri. New dorsal kineties develop within the old ones. The basal bodies at the posterior end of dorsal kineties 2 and 3 aggregate to form inconspicuous caudal cirri.
- Stage 6. Most cirri of anlage 5 migrate anteriorly in each proter and opisthe. These cirri align more or less perfectly with those of anlage 4 to form the ACR. The posterior portion of anlage 5 migrate posteriorly to form longitudinally arranged transverse cirri. (ref. ID; 7307)
Remarks
A redescription of P. caudata is necessary because Hemberger (1985) studied only protargol-impregnated cells. Thus, he did not recognize the conspicuous cortical granules, which usually do not impregnate with protargol. However, we cannot exclude that a very similar (in terms of the infraciliature) species without cortical granules exists in Peruvian soils, where Hemberger (1985) discovered his species. If so, our population must be given species status. Likewise, a redescription of the morphogenesis is necessary because Hemberger's description differs in a key stage, either because he misinterpreted his data or our form is another species (Hemberger, H. 1982. Revision der Ordnung Hypotrichida Stein (Ciliophora, Protozoa) an Hand von Protargolpraparaten und Morphogenesedarstellungen. Dissertation, University of Bonn). (ref. ID; 7307)
This species is similar to two species Pseudouroleptus caudatus and Hemiamphisiella terricola, however, without the peculiarities of their short row four. Because P. caudata has the number of ventral anlagen reduced to five, the processes in the three closely related species possibly indicate an evolutionary strategy to reduce the number of ventral anlagen: the short row four of the two species, which contributes in an unique way to the forming of the long median row, is now P. caudata possibly incorporated in the developmental processes of the row four. Thus row four of P. caudata is possibly homologous to the rows four and five of the two species. Anlagen 1-3 in P. caudata develop by long primary primordia, i.e. 1 and 2 by the oral primordium and contribution of frontal structures (undulating membranes and buccal cirrus, respectively), anlage 3 only by the oral primordium. (ref. ID; 7423)
Type locality
Paramphisiella caudata (Hemberger, 1985) was found on the Shimba Hills near Mombasa (Kenya, Africa) in July 1985. It was isolated from a sandy soil collected near a small river in the vicinity of the Sheldrick waterfalls. (ref. ID; 7307)
Type specimens
We deposited two protargol-impregnated slides of our P. caudata population in the collection of microscope slides of the Oberosterreichische Landesmuseum in Linz. Accession numbers: 12, 13/1994. (ref. ID; 7307)