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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Embata

Embata Bryce, 1910

Class Digononta: Order Bdelloidea: Family Philodinidae (ref. ID; 6806)

Order Philodinida: Family Philodinidae (ref. ID; 6565)

Most confused Philodina.

ref. ID; 1663

With a well-developed rostrum and corona, the latter always capable of being retracted into the mouth. With four plain toes, of which two are dorsal and two terminal. Cuticle smooth. Spurs long. Ectocommensals on many aquatic invertebrates. (ref. ID; 1663)

ref. ID; 1923

Spurs long, flat, and wide. Foot half or more of total length. (ref. ID; 1923)

ref. ID; 3137

The individuals of this genus live usually of the water-crustacea and on the aquatic larvae of various insects. The wheel-organ is very broad. The foot is stout, unusually long. The spurs are large, leaflike. It has four toes. The eye-spots are developed in the viviparous species, in the oviparous species they are lacking. (ref. ID; 3137)
  1. Embata commensalis (Western, 1893) (ref. ID; 1345, 1923, 3688) or 1892 (ref. ID; 3137)
    Syn; Embata commensalis Bryce, 1910 (ref. ID; 1345, 3137, 3688); Philodina commensalis Western, 1893 (ref. ID; 1345, 3688) or 1892 (ref. ID; 3137)
  2. Embata hamata (Murray, 1906) (ref. ID; 1345, 2892) or 1916 (ref. ID; 3137) reported year? (ref. ID; 4606)
    Syn; Embata hamata Bryce, 1910 (ref. ID; 3137); Philodina hamata Murray, 1906 (ref. ID; 2892, 3137)
  3. Embata laticeps (Murray, 1905) (ref. ID; 1345, 1473, 2266, 2892, 3137) reported year? (ref. ID; 3688)
    Syn; Embata laticeps Bryce, 1910 (ref. ID; 1345, 3137); Philodina laticeps Murray, 1905 (ref. ID; 1345, 2892, 3137)
  4. Embata laticornis (Murray, 1905) (ref. ID; 1345, 3137)
    Syn; Embata laticornis Bryce, 1910 (ref. ID; 1345, 3137); Philodina laticornis (Murray, 1915) (ref. ID; 1345) or 1905 (ref. ID; 3137)
  5. Embata parasitica (Giglioli, 1863) (ref. ID; 1345, 3137, 3688)
    Syn; Callidina parasitica Giglioloi, 1863 (ref. ID; 1345, 3137, 3688); Embata parasitica Bryce, 1910 (ref. ID; 1345, 3137, 3688); Siphonostoma parasiticum Zenker, 1832 (ref. ID; 3688)

Embata commensalis (Western, 1893) (ref. ID; 1345, 1923, 3688) or 1892 (ref. ID; 3137)

Synonym

Embata commensalis Bryce, 1910 (ref. ID; 1345, 3137, 3688); Philodina commensalis Western, 1893 (ref. ID; 1345, 3688) or 1892 (ref. ID; 3137)

Descriptions

The clearly transparent body has a length of 580 µm. The digestive tube is light to dark yellow-brown. The cuticle is smooth, and on the trunk it forms several longish folds. The wheel-organ is wider than the slightly swollen neck. The eye-spots are broadly oval and they are light red, thus Budde's opinion must be rectified that Embata commensalis Western is probably Rotaria magna-calcarata Parsons according to the form of the spurs. Budde thinks also that Western was mistake and took the underbrain-mass to be eye-spots. The median part of the trunk is sharply set off from the rump, which passes gradually into the long and stout foot. The spurs are large, broadly leafshaped, and almost equally wide all the way to the tips, it is only just below the tips that they become pointed. The interspace between the spurs is narrower than the diameter of a spur at its base. The wheel-organ is normal, the dorsal antenna narrows towards the tip. D.f.: 2/2. (ref. ID; 3137)

Embata hamata (Murray, 1906) (ref. ID; 1345, 2892) or 1916 (ref. ID; 3137) reported year? (ref. ID; 4606)

Synonym

Embata hamata Bryce, 1910 (ref. ID; 3137); Philodina hamata Murray, 1906 (ref. ID; 2892, 3137)

Diagnosis

Spurs directed laterally, hook-shaped; foot long; head with large proboscis; dorsal antenna segmented and long; upper corona broader than cingulum; instead of upper lip, deep triangular notch. Creeping clumsy. (ref. ID; 2892)

Measurements

Length 340 µm. (ref. ID; 2892)

Total length 220-250; spurs 16-18 µm. (ref. ID; 4606)

Embata laticeps (Murray, 1905) (ref. ID; 1345, 1473, 2266, 2892, 3137) reported year? (ref. ID; 3688)

Synonym

Embata laticeps Bryce, 1910 (ref. ID; 1345, 3137); Philodina laticeps Murray, 1905 (ref. ID; 1345, 2892, 3137)

Diagnosis

Spurs straight, directed posteriorly; body slender; integument transparent, yellowish; foot long, 5-segmented; oviparous; egg pointed on 1 end. Found on crustaceans in slowly and rapidly flowing waters, also between water plants. When rotifer dislodged from host, corona stops beating and animal creeps about restlessly. (ref. ID; 2892)

The transparent body with the exception of the digestive tube, which is light to dark yellow-brown, is colourless and has a length of 508 to 635 µm. The eye-spots are lacking. The central trunk bears often hair-shaped appendages, which are probably fungeous parasites. The rostrum is short and broad with two rostral lamellae. The rump and the foot form together much more than half of the whole length of body, and both of them are distinctly separated from the central trunk. The foot is long, stout and it is composed of five joints. The spurs are long, leafshaped, and they are separated by a interspace with is narrower than the diameter of the spur are its base. The dorsal toes are very weak and short. The ventral toes are stout, long, and are bowshaped cure inwards. The wheel-organ is very broad, much broader than the diameter of the trunk in the feeding action of the animal. The wheel-discs are far apart and on their surface they carry high cylindrical sensitive papillae, bearing the brushes of short sensitive setae. In the very wide but shallow sulcus are four lobes of the collar. The upper lip is without lobes, and if is only low, lightly arched in front. D.f.: 2/2 with a third much thinner tooth on either jaw. Oviparous. (ref. ID; 3137)

Measurements

Length 508-635 µm; teeth 2/2, 2+1/1+2+1. (ref. ID; 2892)

Embata parasitica (Giglioli, 1863) (ref. ID; 1345, 3137, 3688)

Synonym

Callidina parasitica Giglioloi, 1863 (ref. ID; 1345, 3137, 3688); Embata parasitica Bryce, 1910 (ref. ID; 1345, 3137, 3688); Siphonostoma parasiticum Zenker, 1832 (ref. ID; 3688)

Descriptions

The clearly transparent and colourless body has a length of 254 to 309 µm. The digestive tube is slight to dark yellow-brown. The cuticle is smooth; the cuticle forms several longish ridges on the trunk. No eye-spots. The wheel-organ is a little wider than the head, but it is narrower than the biggest diameter of the width of trunk in the feeding animal. On the wheel-discs there are no sensitive seta. The rostrum is short and broad, and bears two small rostral lamellae. The upper lip is arched in front and without a lobe. The foot is stout, long and five-jointed. The spurs are long, conical, and they are as far apart as at least about the diameter of the base of the spur. In front of the jaws can be seen two very bright spots of the underbrain-glands. D.f.: 2/2. (ref. ID; 3137)
  • Egg: Oviparous. The egg is smooth and it runs at the narrower pole into a blunt protuberance, which is sticky close to the pole. This sticky pole cements the eggs to the surface of the body of their host. The length of the egg is up to 133 µm and its width 73 µm. (ref. ID; 3137)