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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Platyophrya

Platyophrya Kahl, 1926 (ref. ID; 2013, 7706)

Class Kinetofragminophora: Subclass Vestibulifera: Order Colpodida (ref. ID; 2013)
Suborder Cyrtolophosidina Foissner, 1978: Family Platyophryidae de Puytorac et al., 1979 (ref. ID; 7706)
Family Platyophryidae Puytorac et al., 1979 (ref. ID; 4692)

See Cirrophrya , Woodruffia

[ref. ID; 2013]
Shape elongate reniform to pyriform, highly metabolic with very short left anterior rostrum bearing an apical oval oral aperture. On the right of the aperture there is a C-shaped row of paired cilia (paroral ciliature) and 5 to 15 groups of 6 cilia on the left (adoral ciliary membranelle). Body cilia uniform, cilia in pairs which arise form furrows. Silver impregnation reveals that the ciliation on the left side of the body is distinctly reduced, this results in the meshwork infraciliature on the right and left sides. Contractile vacuole in posterior region, some species with small satellite micronucleus included within the outer macronuclear membrane. Found living in moss.
Quote; Colin R. Curds "British and other freshwater ciliated protozoa Part I Ciliophora: Kinetofragminophora" Cambridge University Press, 1982 (ref. ID; 2013)

[ref. ID; 3540]
Type species; Platyophrya vorax (ref. ID; 3540)

  1. Platyophrya angusta Kahl, 1926 (ref. ID; 1619, 3540, 3593)
  2. Platyophrya armata Kahl, 1926 (ref. ID; 1619, 3540)
    See; Mykophagophrys armata (ref. ID; 4861)
  3. Platyophrya bromelicola (ref. ID; 7118)
  4. Platyophrya chlorelligera Kawakami, 1989
    See; Platyophrya sphagni (ref. ID; 2307)
  5. Platyophrya citrina Foissner (ref. ID; 3698)
  6. Platyophrya dubia Foissner (ref. ID; 3698)
  7. Platyophrya hyalina Foissner (ref. ID; 3698)
  8. Platyophrya lata Kahl, 1930 (ref. ID; 3540 original paper, 3593) reported year? (ref. ID; 1618, 1619)
  9. Platyophrya macrostoma Foissner, 1980 (ref. ID; 2128)
  10. Platyophrya nana Kahl, 1926 (ref. ID; 1619, 3540, 3593)
  11. Platyophrya procera Foissner (ref. ID; 3698)
  12. Platyophrya rotunda (Hentschel) Gonnet (ref. ID; 1335)
  13. Platyophrya similis (Foissner, 1980) Foissner, 1987 (ref. ID; 4861)
  14. Platyophrya sphagni (Penard, 1922) Foissner, 1993 (ref. ID; 2307 redescribed paper)
    Syn; Glaucoma sphagni Penard, 1922 (ref. ID; 2307); Platyophrya chlorelligera Kawakami, 1989 (ref. ID; 2307); Platyophrya viridis (Gelei, 1954) (ref. ID; 2307)
  15. Platyophrya spumacola Kahl, 1926 (ref. ID; 3593) or 1927 (ref. ID; 1335, 1619, 3540, 4692) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 191)
  16. Platyophrya viridis (Gelei, 1954)
    See; Platyophrya sphagni (ref. ID; 2307)
  17. Platyophrya vorax Kahl, 1926 (ref. ID; 1219, 1619, 1629, 3540, 3593, 4609, 4861) reported year? (ref. ID; 3698, 4842)

Platyophrya lata Kahl, 1930 (ref. ID; 3540 original paper, 3593) reported year? (ref. ID; 1618, 1619)

Descriptions

Highly compressed; colorless; many striae; on left edge of cytostome five to six cirrus-like projections and on right edge many short bristles; fresh water in sphagnum. (ref. ID; 1618)

Measurements

105 um long. (ref. ID; 1618)

Platyophrya sphagni (Penard, 1922) Foissner, 1993 (ref. ID; 2307 redescribed paper)

Synonym

Glaucoma sphagni Penard, 1922 (ref. ID; 2307); Platyophrya chlorelligera Kawakami, 1989 (ref. ID; 2307); Platyophrya viridis (Gelei, 1954) (ref. ID; 2307)

Diagnosis

In vivo about 60x25 um, slightly reniform or bursiform, very flexible and, under certain conditions, even highly metabolic. Macronucleus globular, oral aperture minute and distinctly smaller than maximum body width. Cytoplasm colourless, cells, however, bright green by ellipsoidal symbiotic green algae. 19-26, usually about 22 somatic kineties and 5-8, usually 6-7 adoral organelles. (ref. ID; 2307)

Descriptions

Shape highly variable, depending on condition of cell, basically reniform to bursiform, anterior end more narrowly rounded than posterior, flattened laterally up to 2:1, transverse view thus ellipsoid. Specimens swimming for some time, for instance when samples were shaken repeatedly, usually become more slender, distinctly fusiform and slightly sigmoidal. Distinctly contractile and highly metabolic, fully contracted specimens about 30 um long and bursiform. Metaboly very conspicuous, but usually recognizable only under coverslip pressure and especially when burrowing for food in bacterial flocs. Such specimens lack a definite shape and behave like a naked amoeba. Nuclear apparatus in centre of cell, macronucleus globular in vivo 9-13 um across and studded with very small granules (bacteria?), nucleoli small and pale; micronucleus lenticular, in vivo about 4x2.5 um, in small indentation of macronucleus. Contractile vacuole distinctly subterminal near ventral side, excretory pore on right side beneath kineties 7 and 8, which are shortened, i.e. abut to pore. Cortex very flexible, about 1 um thick, bright, slightly orange-coloured by mucocysts. Mucocysts arranged in loose rows between somatic kineties, globular, 0.5-0.7 um across, very compact and thus distinctly bright, extend to up to 10 um long rods in silver carbonate impregnated cells. Cytoplasm colourless, but specimens appear bright green due to symbiotic algae. Food vacuoles 4-5 um across, usually containing U-shaped, colourless bacteria and/or ellipsoidal, reddish bacteria, both found in the slimy bacterial masses usually inhabited by P. sphagni; rarely, large diatoms are ingested. Swims rather fast, but usually P. sphagni burrows within smile bacterial masses showing great metaboly, as described above. Symbiotic algae ellipsoidal and highly variable in number, provide cell with conspicuous green colour. Chlorplast cylindrical with longitudinal furrow and 1-2 globular, acentral pyrenoids. Resting cysts globular, 34-38 um across (n=4), green by symbiotic algae, have some brownish inclusions, possibly digested zoochlorellae. Cyst wall about 0.5 um thick, colourless, without recognizable ornamentation. (ref. ID; 2307)
  • Somatic and oral infraciliature: As described by Kawakami (1991) and in other members of genus, differing mainly in morphometric details. Ciliary rows slightly spirally arranged, composed of dikinetids throughout, both basal bodies of dikinetids ciliated at right side, anterior cilium lacking in most dikinetids of left side. Left side distinctly more loosely ciliated than right. Oral opening slightly subapical, minute (about 4x3 um) and thus difficult to recognize in live specimens. Paroral membrane C-shaped, cilia only 3 um long, stick together forming distinct membrane. Anteriormost adoral organelle frequently smaller than others, as in Japanese population (Kawakami 1991), cilia of adoral organelles about 5 um long and directed backwards when inactive. Postoral pseudomembrane distinct, composed of 2 closely spaced rows each comprising 13-16 ciliated dikinetids. Silver line system also as in congeners (Foissner 1993), i.e. reticulate with distinct median silverline between each two ciliary rows on both sides of the cell. Frequently, granules occur in silverlines, very likely indicating mucocysts sites. (ref. ID; 2307)

    Measurements

    Extended specimens in vivo about 60x28 um, size, especially length little altered by preparation procedures, specimens impregnated with protargol or the dry silver nitrate method shrunken 10% on average. (ref. ID; 2307)