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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Stichotricha

Stichotricha Perty, 1849 (ref. ID; 2014)

Class Polyhymenophora: Subclass Spirotricha: Order Hypotrichida: Suborder Stichotrichina: Family Spirofilidae (ref. ID; 2014)
Order Strichotrichida (ref. ID; 7040)

Synonym Archimedea Hudson, 1875 (ref. ID; 2014); Schizosiphon Kent, 1882 (ref. ID; 2014); Stichochaeta Claparede & Lachmann, 1858 (ref. ID; 2014)

[ref. ID; 2014]
Slender, elongate, relatively inflexible body with anterior narrow neck-like region, posterior end rounded or tapered into a blunt cusp. Inhabits a cylindrical lorica which is vacated only during its planktonic stage. Sometimes lives colonially in branched lorica. Usually four rows of cirri which spiral down the complete body length. Transverse cirri absent. Peristome region narrow, located on neck region. Contractile vacuole normally lies to the left and posterior to peristome. Macronucleus in two parts each with an adjacent micronucleus. Several species have been described.
Quote; Colin R. Curds, Michael A. Gates and David McL. Roberts "British and other freshwater ciliated protozoa Part II Ciliophora: Oligohymenophora and Polyhymenophora" Cambridge University Press, 1983 (ref. ID; 2014)
  1. Stichotricha aculeata Wrzesniowski, 1866 (ref. ID; 4609) or 1870 (ref. ID; 1621, 1629) reported year? (ref. ID; 3698, 3771)
    Syn; Stichotricha acuminata Wang, 1930 (ref. ID; 1621); Stichotricha secunda Perty-Stein, 1859 (ref. ID; 4609)
  2. Stichotricha aculeata forma sapropelica (ref. ID; 1621)
  3. Stichotricha ampulla Kellicott, 1888
    See; Chaetospira mulleri (ref. ID; 1621)
  4. Stichotricha asensius Fernandez-Leborans, 1985 (ref. ID; 4695 original paper)
  5. Stichotricha contorta Kahl, 1928
    See; Urostrongylum contortum (ref. ID; 1621)
  6. Stichotricha gracilis Moebius, 1888 (ref. ID; 1621)
  7. Stichotricha intermedia Froud, 1949 (ref. ID; 1618)
  8. Stichotricha marina Stein, 1867 (ref. ID; 1621)
    Syn; Stichotricha horrida Moebius, 1888 (ref. ID; 1621); Stichotricha inquilinus Entz, 1884 (ref. ID; 1621)
  9. Stichotricha muelleri Entz
    See; Chaetopsira remex Hudson (ref. ID; 1219)
  10. Stichotricha nankingensis Wang & Nie (ref. ID; 1335)
  11. Stichotricha opisthotonoides Smith, 1897 (ref. ID; 1621)
  12. Stichotricha saginata Moebius, 1888 (ref. ID; 1621)
  13. Stichotricha secunda (ref. ID; 7040)
  14. Stichotricha secunda Kahl, 1932 (ref. ID; 3890)
  15. Stichotricha secunda Perty, 1849 (ref. ID; 4488, 4609) or 1852 (ref. ID; 1308, 1621, 1629, 2245) reported year? (ref. ID; 1219, 1618)
    Syn; Stichotricha cornuta Claparede & Lachmann, 1858 (ref. ID; 1621, 4609)
  16. Stichotricha simplex (ref ID; 1621)
  17. Stichotricha socilalis Gruber, 1880 (ref. ID; 1621)
    Syn; Schizosiphon socilalis Kent, 1881 (ref. ID; 1621)
  18. Stichotricha urnula Gruber, 1882
    See; Chaetospira maritima (ref. ID; 1621)

Stichotricha asensius Fernandez-Leborans, 1985 (ref. ID; 4695 original paper)

Diagnosis

Freshwater ciliates. Spindle-shaped body, 90-120 um in length and width of 23-25.8 um. No front cirri or transverse cirri. One row of cirri runs along the body in spiral arrangement. On the side where the membranelles area is found, three turns of this row of cirri are observed. Each of these cirri has a thick fibre which leads from the anterior right-hand side of the cirrus toward the anterior right-hand area of the ciliate. This fibre measures 1.2-1.5 um in length. There are 27-30 membranelles which make up an adoral area which does not extend beyond the equator of the ciliate. The paroral formation is composed of three parts: an anterior segment and two posterior segments. There are two oval-shaped macronuclei positioned in anterior-posterior direction, each with a spherical micronucleus attached to it. (ref. ID; 4695)

Descriptions

Paroral formation: This paroral formation is composed of three parts: anterior segment (PF1) and two posterior segments (PF2, PF3). Paroral formation 1 measures 13.2-15.3 um and extends from the anterior end of the adoral membranelle area, on the right-hand edge of the oral region, to a point approximately two-thirds along the length of this oral region. PF1 is composed of three anterior rows, each of which possesses 10-12 kinetosomes, and two posterior rows, each with 12-14 kinetosomes. The different rows are observed to be clearly separated from each other in the preparations. Paroral formation 2 stretches between the anterior area of the 2-kinetosome rows of PF1 and the posterior end of the membranelle area. It measures 16.2-18.4 um and is composed of a single row of 34-36 kinetosomes. Paroral formation 3 is located between the posterior end of PF1, although clearly separated from this end (at a distance of 1.5-1.8 um), and the part adjacent to the posterior end of the membranelle area. Its anterior half is located to the right of paroral formation 2, where it more or less is middle area crosses with PF2, and its posterior half is on the left of that formation. It measures 10.2-12.1 um in length and is composed of two parallel rows of 32-34 kinetosomes each. The kinetosomes of PF3 are set much more closely together than those of PF1, and they are less impregnated than those of the latter. Observation has only been made of a subparoral fibre (SPF) accompanying paroral formation 2 in its full length. (ref. ID; 4695)

Remarks

This species is similar to Stichotricha gracilis Mobius 1888. The two differ, however, in that S. asensius only presents 3 rows of cirri instead of 4 as observed in S. gracilis. The paroral formation in S. gracilis, which has not been too clearly described up to the present [see the drawing of Kahl (1935) and Gelei (1954)], would seem to be composed of a single row of kinetosomes, whereas this structure is somewhat more complex in our species. (ref. ID; 4695)

Type locality

This specimens come from the River Manzanares (Madrid, Spain). (ref. ID; 4695)

Stichotricha intermedia Froud, 1949 (ref. ID; 1618)

Descriptions

Solitary; non-loricate; two-fifths of which is a bent proboscis; 2 rows of body cilia; 2 rows of dorsal cilia, 5 um long; among Lemna in fresh water. (ref. ID; 1618)

Measurements

40-170 um long. (ref. ID; 1618)

Stichotricha secunda Kahl, 1932 (ref. ID; 3890)

Descriptions

The structure of individuals that are free-crawling, or withdrawn in the tube. Repeated forward and backward movement near the surface of the flocculent particulate detritus of the habitat leads to accumulation of mucus and attached material forming a tube about 3-4 times body length. The anterior 1/3 of the body including the entire adoral zone of membranelles extends from the tube during feeding. At this time the anterior end contorts into a helix of 360-720 degrees, with the membranelles on the external surface of the extension. When the ciliate withdraws in to the tube, it reverts to the former shape. (ref. ID; 3890)

Stichotricha secunda Perty, 1849 (ref. ID; 4488, 4609) or 1852 (ref. ID; 1308, 1621, 1629, 2245) reported year? (ref. ID; 1219, 1618)

Synonym

Stichotricha cornuta Claparede & Lachmann, 1858 (ref. ID; 1621, 4609)

Measurements

130-200 um long. (ref. ID; 1618)