Fungiphrya
Fungiphrya Foissner, 1999 (ref. ID; 7466 original paper)
Class Colpodea (ref. ID; 7466)
[ref. ID; 7466]
Diagnosis; Completely ciliated Grossglockneriidae with oral apparatus on right side of cell. Adoral ciliature well developed, consisting of more than 5 kineties forming a conspicuous left oral polykinetid. Ejected extrusomes with inflated anterior end. (ref. ID; 7466)
Etymology; Composite of the Latin noun Fungus (fungus) and the Greek noun Ophrya (eyebrow=cilium), meaning "a ciliate associated with fungi". Feminine gender. (ref. ID; 7466)
Type species; Fungiphrya strobli n. sp. (ref. ID; 7466)
- Fungiphrya strobli Foissner, 1999 (ref. ID; 7466 original paper)
Fungiphrya strobli Foissner, 1999 (ref. ID; 7466 original paper)
Diagnosis
Size in vivo about 50x40 um. Broadly ellipsoidal; anterior left end bluntly pointed, left body margin flat, right distinctly convex. Two kinds of extrusomes: large extrusomes very numerous and 5 x 1 um in size, form conspicuous fringe, sperm-shaped when extruded; small extrusomes granular, around base of somatic dikinetids. On average, 12 ciliary rows and 8 kineties in left oral polykinetid. (ref. ID; 7466)
Descriptions
Size in vivo 45-60x35-45 um, usually about 50x40 um, as calculated from measurements of live specimens and values shown in Table 1, assuming a shrinkage of 5-10% due to the preparation procedures; colourless and non-contractile. Shape in vivo fairly constant and very characteristic; anterior left end bluntly pointed and slightly projecting, right margin (dorsal side) distinctly convex, left (ventral) flat, posterior end broadly rounded, laterally flattened up to 2:1; poorly preserved in preparations where most specimens are ovate. Macronucleus subequatorial, in vivo about 12 um across with reticulate nucleolus. Compact, cospicuous micronucleus 5x2.5 um (in vivo) in size in indentation of macronucleus. Contractile vacuole in posterior end, with single excretory pore in centre of posterior pole. Cortex flexible, distinctly furrowed by ciliary rows and bright due to attached blister-like extrusomes. Two kinds of extrusomes. Large extrusomes, very numerous and closely spaced, in vivo about 5x1 um, hyaline, form conspicuously bright fringe in live cells and small circles (if attached) or granules (if released) in the silverlines, impregnate with protargol, are released when cells are pressed or methyl green-pyronin in added. They become sperm-shaped, up to 15 um long filaments with a 2-3 um wide, inflated anterior end, which is very hyaline and thus easily overlooked. Small extrusomes recognized only in protargol preparations, about 0.5 um across, found only around ciliary bases. Cytoplasm usually packed with globular to irregular, bright, compact food inclusions (contents of fungal hyphae) 1-10 um across, making cells almost black at low (< /_100x) magnification. Glides quickly on slides and swims by rotation about main body axis. Somatic cilia in vivo about 8 um long and paired throughout, arranged in 12 strongly spiralling rows, half of which curve around right side of oral apparatus to form a distinct suture with postoral kineties in left anterior region; no elongated caudal cilia. LKM-fibres (overlapping transverse microtubule ribbons) conspicuous after protargol impregnation. Silverline system colpodid, that is, with distinct lines extending between kineties, usually contains many granules (attached extrusomes) and circles (just released extrusomes). Oral area distinctly subapical and semicircular, comparatively large and slightly concave. Feeding tube aobut 4x3 um extends at right angles from body surface. Its base surrounded by a ring of minute granules recognizable only in protargol preparations, and, on right half, by hair-shaped structures extending to paroral membrane. Adoral kineties of varying length. Those at ends of ribbon usually shortened, bear about 5 um long cilia, obliquely arranged and comparatively widely spaced, form conspicuous, obliquely extending polykinetid (ribbon) posterior to and left of feeding tube. Paroral membrane semicircular, composed of about 25-30 narrowly spaced kinetids, which bear about 5 um long cilia. These kinetids appear paired after silver carbonate and silver nitrate impregnation and, at least in anterior region, also in vivo. However, only a single row of granules is recognizable in protargol preparations, indicating that the inner granule row is composed of parasomal sacs. (ref. ID; 7466)
Notes
Fungiphrya strobli is a well-defined genus and species, differing from other grossglockneriids by having the oral apparatus on the right side and a conspicuous left oral polykinetid. The oral apparatus of all other grossglockeniids (Grossglockneria, Pseudoplatyophrya, Nivaliella and Mykophagophrys) is at the left anterior margin and the left oral polykinetid is minute, consisting of only three (rarely four) small kineties. Furthermore, Fungiphrya has unique extrusomes, assuming a peculiar, sperm-like shape when released. All other grossglockneriids have globular extrusomes, except for Mykophagophrys, whose extrusomes are similar to that of Fungiphrya except that they have a cone-shaped distal end, that is, lack the apical blister found in F. strobli. Mykophagophrys terricola is considerably smaller than F. strobli (30x20 um vs. 50x40 um, respectively) and has two very short kineties right of the paroral and a distinct caudal cilium. Thus, F. strobli is easily distinguished from M. terricola and all other grossglockneriids. At the first glance, the oral apparatus of F. strobli looks rather different from that of other grossglockneriids, especially because of the comparatively large, left oral polykinetid and the hair-shaped structures at the base of the feeding tube. However, a reinvestigation of Grossglokneria acuta showed hair-shaped structures too, which are more difficult to recognize than in F. strobli because the whole oral apparatus is smaller. Likewise, the ring of minute granules at the base of the feeding tube is present in G. acuta. Possibly, the hair-shaped structures are identical with the microtubular lamellae composing the feeding tube of grossglockneriids. (ref. ID; 7466)
Occurrence and ecology
Fungiphrya strobli n. g, n. sp. was observed to feed on fungal hyphae and was associated with 43 other, mainly terricolous ciliate species, of which four were undescribed. Among about 1,000 soil samples from all the main biogeographical regions, including circa 100 samples from Africa (Kenya, Namibia, Republic of South Africa), F. strobli was found only on the Table Mountain. This area is known to be inhabited by a great number of endemic plants and animals. Accordingly, there is some probability that F. strobli is endemic to the region or the Gondwanaland. At least, I am convinced that I could not have overlooked F. strobli in any of the other samples because of its characteristic shape. However, endemism is difficult to prove in single-celled organisms because they are minute, heavily underinvestigated, and each sample, especially from soil, represents an almost unique habitat due to the small size of the organisms. (ref. ID; 7466)
Etymology
I dedicate this new species to Mag. Eric Strobl, a native South African, who for many years has helped to imporve the English in my manuscripts. (ref. ID; 7466)
Type location
Mud/soil mixture from dry rock-pools on summit of Table Mountain, surroundings of Cape Town, Republic of South Africa (about lat 33 degrees 53'S, long 18 degrees 25'E). (ref. ID; 7466)
Type material
Two holotype slides (one Chatton-Lwoff silver nitrate-impregnated, the other protargol-impregnated) and one paratype slide (protargol-impregnated) have been deposited in the Oberosterreichische Landesmuseum in Linz (LI), Austria, Accession Numbers: 1998/47-49. The slides contain several specimens with relevant cells marked by a black ink circle on the cover glass. (ref. ID; 7466)