The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta
Tokophrya
Tokophrya Butschli, 1889 (ref. ID; 2013)
Quote from ref. ID; 5003From Kuniyasu
Class Kinetofragminophora: Subclass Suctoria: Order Suctorida: Suborder Endogenina (ref. ID; 2013)
[ref. ID; 2013]
Body inverted pyriform or conical in shape entirely without a lorica and rounded not flattened in cross-section. Borne upon a non-rigid stalk. Capitate tentacles are arranged in 2 to 4 fascicles, all on the anterior surface. Macronucleus rounded. Ciliated larva produced by simple endogenous budding.
Most easily confused with Acineta and Acinetides, the former being flattened and both being loricate.
Quote; Colin R. Curds "British and other freshwater ciliated protozoa Part I Ciliophora: Kinetofragminophora" Cambridge University Press, 1982 (ref. ID; 2013)
Postembryonal development: The first stage of development was a stalked embryo retaining 4 or 5 ciliary bands. In 2 minutes the stalk developed from the original 61 um to 101 um and there appeared two upper (anterior) and two lower (posterior) tentacles fascicles, while most of the cilia had been absorbed. After 5 minutes the stalk became 145 um in length, the tentacle also elongated. In 10 minutes more the stalk reached 166 um, which was nearly its maximum length. In the mean time the two lower tentacle fascicles had moved upwards together with the plasm in the posterior half of the body. This resulted in the rapid shortening of the distal portion of the stalk embedded in the embryo, until the stalk became attached to the body only with its distal extremity. The movement was apparently due to the streaming movement of the internal plasm near the distal portion of the stalk outwards and upwards, because, (1) the two lower tentacle fascicles moved upwards as stated above; (2) the relative position of the contractile vacuoles changed from the posterior to the anterior side of the macronucleus; (3) the macronucleus stayed at the same position some distance from the distal end of the stalk throughout these changes (4) the stalk elongated considerably which indicates that its distal portion was never absorbed. Claparede and Lachmann observed and embryo of T. quadripartita secret a stalk, one and half time as long as the body, 4 hours and half after its fixation to a substratum (cited from Collin 1912-1913). This observation is cited in Butschli (1889). In Nozawa material, however, the elongation of the stalk was very rapid and its growth rate seemed to be represented by an S-shaped or parabolic curve, although the stage soon after fixation had been missed. There is no doubt that the postembryonal growth rate is much subjected to environmental factors, and that it is retarded considerably in materials on slide. The tentacles, as observed by Filipjev (1910), form two upper and two lower fascicles and the opposite pairs of the upper and the lower fascicles seem to cross in parallel planes. The embryo is bilateral in shape due to the inflection of the main axis, instead of being monaxial as stated by Butschli (1889) and Collin (1909). The description of Filipjev on the embryo conforms well with the features in Nozawa material. (ref. ID; 3477)
Abnormal individuals found in the natural condition: Epistylis-colonies carrying well-fed Tokophrya were found mingled with many other ciliates such as Paramecium. The normal specimen of the suctorian is shaped like an inverted pyramid with the anterior diameter about 80 um and the length about 100 um, 1:1.25 in ratio. This ratio is smaller in young individuals. An abnormal specimen with an anterior diameter 75 um and body length 186 um (1:2.5) was met with. This monster had undoubtedly resulted, like the case in Tokophrya lemnarum (Stein) (Nozawa, 1939), by the elongation of the posterior half of the body. This specimen produced an embryo. Another type of abnormality was found in the number and position of tentacle fascicles. Two individuals were provided with one and two additional fascicles respectively besides the four normally located ones. They measured both 78 um in anterior diameter and 93 um and 108 um in length respectively. These measurements are much similar to those in normal specimens. (ref. ID; 3477)
