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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Agitata

Agitata Cavalier-Smith & Bass, 2009 (ref. ID; 7130)

Infraphylum Monadofilosa: Class Sarcomonadea Cavalier-Smith, 1993: Order Pansomonadida Vickerman, 2005: Family Agitatidae Cavalier-Smith & Bass, 2009 (ref. ID; 7130)

[ref. ID; 7130]
Type species; Agitata tremulans (ref. ID; 7130)
  1. Agitata agilis Cavalier-Smith, 2011 (ref. ID; 7130 redescribed paper)
    Basionym; Dimastigamoeba agilis Moroff 1904 (ref. ID; 7130)
    Synonyms; Cercobodo agilis Lemmermann, 1914 (ref. ID; 7130); Cercomonas agilis Mylnikov & Karpov, 2004 (ref. ID; 7130)
  2. Agitata tremulans (ref. ID; 7130)
  3. Agitata vibrans Howe & Cavalier-Smith, 2011 (ref. ID; 7130 original paper)

Agitata vibrans Howe & Cavalier-Smith, 2011 (ref. ID; 7130 original paper)

Diagnosis

18S rDNA sequence, GenBank HQ121438; ITS2 rDNA GenBank HQ176334; cell size 12 um (6.5-17 um). AF: ca. 17 um, PF: ca. 33.5 um. Cell larger, on average, than type species A. tremulans, but flagellar proportions similar. Anisokont flagella flicker actively and heterodynamically, neither associated with cell along its length. Arise from same point; PF usually beneath cell, appears to emerge from opposite end. When stationary and attached to substratum, cell usually rounded; lamellar and filose pseudopodia extend and retract from all around cell, bulbous and finger-like pseudopodia less common than in A. tremulans. Flagella wave independently and infrequently in same plane. Cell occasionally wobbles liquidly and gently on substratum or vibrates frenetically. Swimming cells round to highly elongated, or oval; tapered anterior and posterior ends (spindle-shaped); cells very plastic: when elongated, bend sinuously along their length. Swimming cell vibrates energetically while rotating or swims smmothly in swirling circles. Culture medium Volvic and grain. 1-2 central or posterior cvs; nucleus usually in anterior half of cell. Cysts not observed. Differs from Agitata (= Dimastigamoeba) agilis comb. n. only by somewhat longer AF (1.4X BL not 0.7-1X BL) and much longer PF (2.8X BL, not 1.2X BL). (ref. ID; 7130)

Comments

We bought ATCC50407 as Cercomonas agilis OC-2 but its rDNA sequence shows that it is not a Cercomonas but is closely related to Agitata tremulans (Bass et al. 2009), itself also originally misidentified as Cercobodo agilis (another synonym for Dimastigamoeba agilis), so the name Cercomonas is inapplicable. ATCC 50407 is morphologically much closer to D. agilis than was A. tremulans, but differs enough in posterior flagellum length to merit a new species. Cercomonas agilis was originally described as D. agilis by Moroff (1904); his organism was so similar to Agitata vibrans except for its shorter flagella that we now place it in the genus Agitata. The name Dimastigamoeba is unsuitable, being a junior synonym for Cercomonas. Cercobodo used for this species by Lemmermann (1914) is also unsuitable as the identity of its type species is obscure (Bass et al. 2009) and it was not very similar to D. aglis. (ref. ID; 7130)

Etymology

vibrans L. vibrating. (ref. ID; 7130)

Type strain

ATCC50407 (Year, place, isolator unknown; depositor T.K. Sawyer). (ref. ID; 7130)