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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Slavina

Slavina Vejdovsky, 1883 (ref. ID; 1257, 3692, 6554, 6913, 6972)

Family Naididae (ref. ID; 5876, 5939, 6554, 7854)

Family Naididae: Subfamily Naidinae Lastockin, 1924 (ref. ID; 1257)

Family Naididae: Subfamily Stylarinae Nemec & Brinkhurst (ref. ID; 6972)

ref. ID; 1663

Body wall covered with foreign particles. Without proboscis. Dorsal setae beginning on IV, V or VI. (ref. ID; 1663)

ref. ID; 1923

Prostomium not elongated to form a proboscis. One or more of the dorsal hair setae of segment 6 much longer than those of the other segments and equal to 3 or 4 times the diameter of the body. Single species. (ref. ID; 1923)

ref. ID; 6554


Three Slavina species other than the cosmopolitan S. appendiculata were listed by Sperber (1948), who noted that the genus was poorly known and heterogenous. Slavia evelinae, in particular, was seen as very doubtfully located in the genus. That species and S. isochaeta were separated from S. appendiculata and S. sawayai by Brinkhurst (1985) and Nemec and Brinkhurst (1987) in phenetic and phylongenetic analyses, the results of which substantiated the suggestion that Slavina sensu Sperber (1948) is not monophyletic. The genus is badly in need of a revision based on more than the handful of specimens of three of the species available to date. The material available here has not made possible such a revision as the few specimens share some of the characteristics of two species. (ref. ID; 6554)
  1. Slavina appendiculata (d'Udekem, 1855) (ref. ID; 1257, 1663, 1861, 1923, 1928, 3692, 6972, 7854) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)
  2. Slavina evelinae (Marcus, 1942) (ref. ID; 6554, 6913)
  3. Slavina isochaeta Cernosvitov, 1939 (ref. ID; 6554, 6913)
  4. Slavina sawayai Marcus, 1944 (ref. ID; 6554)
  5. Slavina truncata (ref. ID; 5939)

Slavina appendiculata (d'Udekem, 1855) (ref. ID; 1257, 1663, 1861, 1923, 1928, 3692, 6972, 7854) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 5939)

Descriptions

S. appendiculata is a cosmopolitan species found in lakes and slow-moving streams, and particularly in bogs and marshes. (ref. ID; 1861)

This species has body surface studded with sensory papillae and with foreign bodies. (ref. ID; 1923)

Body wall covered in foregin matter. Dorsal chaetae from VI with 1 hair and 1 simple-pointed needle per bundle, rarely 2. Ventral chaetae mostly 2 or 3 per bundle, rarely 4, bent proximally with a proximal nodulus. Teeth equally long, with upper thinner than lower. (ref. ID; 6972)

Remarks

Both specimens in this collection are fragmented and the characteristic elongate hairs of VI are not present. These is little doubt about the identity of the specimens. The chaetal lengths lie within the range established for the species. The species has already been recorded in China. (ref. ID; 6972)

Material examined

2 specimens, Zhujiang River, Huang-zhu-qi, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 1985. Qi Sang collection. (ref. ID; 6972)

Slavina evelinae (Marcus, 1942) (ref. ID; 6554, 6913)

Remarks

Marchese (1986) compared the material described by various authors including Marcus (1942) and Harmann (1974), and specimens from the San Javier River, Santa Fe Province, examined by us, and so the account is not repeated here. The specimens were densely covered with papillae and foreign matter and so no chaetal dimensions could be measured, but chaetal form and number were confirmed. Marchese (1986) also reported S. appendiculata. (ref. ID; 6554)

Slavina isochaeta Cernosvitov, 1939 (ref. ID; 6554, 6913)

Descriptions

No eyes. Dorsal chaetae from IV, 2 or 3 thick stiff hairs, 180-350 µm, none especially elongate, 2 or 3 needles, 70-80 µm, tapering towards distal end. Ventral chaetae 4 or 5, in II-V longer and thinner than the rest with upper tooth 1.5 as long as the lower; in the rest, upper tooth almost as long as the lower, 105-115 µm and 92-98 µm, respectively. Oesophagus joins intestine in IX. Budding not observed. Body covered by foreign matter. (ref. ID; 6554)

Remarks

We reexamined seven specimens from the Santa Fe Province collection but none of those from Chaco Province, Argentina. No new material was found in the Titicaca Basin. The specimens were heavily covered with papillae and foreign matter, and the needles were hard to see, but some were clearly bifid, as in S. sawayai. The hair chaetae in our material had tiny teeth at the tips, not reported for any Slavina species previously. There were no elongate hairs in V apart from one specimen that had hairs only 10 µm longer than the rest but at 324 µm they fall in the normal hair chaetae range for the genus. Bifid needles were present, and while Cernosvitov (1939) did not report them in S. isochaeta, he may have overlooked them. The form of the ventral chaetae may be similar in both species: those of S. isochaeta change form at VI but the characteristic is not mentioned in the description of S. sawayai. The number of ventrals averages 6 per bundle in S. sawayai (not noted in the previous English language literature) but our specimens have only 3 or 4, and the chaetae of II differ a little from the rest (the upper teeth are relatively longer than in others). The gut dilates in IX. These specimens seem to have more in common with S. isochaeta than S. sawayai. The anterior and posterior ventral chaetae and needle sizes (98-124, 83-104, and 76-90 µm, respectively) are closer to those of S. isochaeta than to those of S. sawayai. (ref. ID; 6554)

Slavina sawayai Marcus, 1944 (ref. ID; 6554)

Descriptions

No eyes. Dorsal chaete from IV, 1-3 hairs, those on V much longer than the rest (870x5 µm vs. 300-400x4 µm), 1-3 needles, finely bifid distally, 110x3 µm. Ventral chaetae average 6 per bundle, 120-140 µm, median nodulus, upper tooth longer and thinner than the lower. Stomach begining in VII. (ref. ID; 6554)

Remarks

Marcus (1944) saw only a single specimen. The bifid needles and elongate hairs in V are unique to be the genus as described. (ref. ID; 6554)