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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Rhynchomonas

Rhynchomonas Klebs, 1892 (ref. ID; 4656, 4907, 6733)

Order Bodonids (ref. ID; 4826)
Order Kinetoplastida Honigberg, 1963 (ref. ID; 4907, 4872)
Order Kinetoplastida: Family Bodonidae (ref. ID; 7051)

Synonym Cruzella Faria, da Cunha & Pinto

[ref. ID; 1618]
Similar to Bodo, but there is an anterior extension of body, in which one of the flagella is embedded, while the other flagellum trails; a single nucleus; minute forms; fresh or salt water; also sometimes coprozoic. (ref. ID; 1618)

[ref. ID; 4907]
Kinetoplastid flagellates with two heterodynamic flagella, one trailing and one very short anterior associated with a conspicuous anterior snout. Several nominal species but possibly only one valid (Zhukov 1991). (ref. ID; 4907)
  1. Rhynchomonas agilis (ref. ID; 4826)
  2. Rhynchomonas marina (Faria, da Cunha & Pinto) (ref. ID; 1618)
  3. Rhynchomonas metabolita (ref. ID; 3779, 4826)
  4. Rhynchomonas nasuta (Stokes) (ref. ID; 1618, 1880, 3321), (Stokes, 1888) Klebs, 1892 (ref. ID; 4907, 4921), (Stokes) Klebs, 1892 (ref. ID; 4656) reported year? (ref. ID; 3342, 3517) or Klebs, 1893 (ref. ID; 4872) reported year? (ref. ID; 3497) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 3321, 4826)

Rhynchomonas marina (Faria, da Cunha & Pinto) (ref. ID; 1618)

Descriptions

In salt water. (ref. ID; 1618)

Rhynchomonas nasuta (Stokes) (ref. ID; 1618, 1880), (Stokes, 1888) Klebs, 1892 (ref. ID; 4907, 4921), (Stokes) Klebs, 1892 (ref. ID; 4656) reported year? (ref. ID; 3342, 3517) or Klebs, 1893 (ref. ID; 4872) reported year? (ref. ID; 3497) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 3321, 4826)

Descriptions

Oval, flattened; fresh water and coprozoic. (ref. ID; 1618)
The body with a curved proboscis is more or less compressed and fusiform, but the posterior end is not acutely pointing. A single flagellum, twice or more a long as body, starts posteriorly at the middle of the proboscis, and the body is rolled by locomotion of the posterior flagellum. A contractile vacuole rarely appears in the anterior half, and a few granules of reserved substance are usually observed. (ref. ID; 3497)
Glinding cells with bulbous motile snout which contains the mouth. Average cell length 4.7 um, range 3.6-5.6 um. (ref. ID; 4872)
Cell ovate in outline, very flexible. Snout about half as long as cell, distal part broadened. Trailing flagellum about two and a half times body length, emerges from flagellar pocket located under proximal part of snout, adheres to cell. Cell glides with a wobbling motion with snout moving from side to side. (ref. ID; 4907)

Comments

This species is common and widespread and aspects of its ultrastructure and taxonomy are reviewed by Swale (1973) and Larsen & Patterson (1990). Known to sometimes form cysts in cultures (Swale 1973). (ref. ID; 4872)
Rhynchomonas nasuta is easily recognized. See Larsen & Patterson (1990) for a thorough discussion of the species, it is common and widespread in marine, freshwater (Larsen & Patterson 1990; Vors 1992) and soil habitats (Foissner 1991; Ekelund, unpublished). (ref. ID; 4907)

Measurements

5-6 by 2-3 um. (ref. ID; 1618)
Cell volume 18.5+/-5.4 um3, proboscis length 1.9+/-0.3 um: width 0.6+/-0.2 um. (ref. ID; 3321)
4.5-6.5 um. (ref. ID; 3342)
Length 5-8 um. (ref. ID; 3497)
Size ranges for body reported elsewhere to be 5-8 um (Griessmann 1913), 4-7 um (Swale 1973), 3-11 um (Larsen & Patterson 1990), and 3-5 um (Vors 1992). (ref. ID; 4872)
Length 6-7 um (without snout). (ref. ID; 4907)