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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 4683

Erna Wirnsberger, Wilhelm Foissner, and Hans Adam; [Morphologie und Infraciliatur von Perispira pyriformis nov. spec., Cranotheridium foliosus (Foissner, 1983) nov. comb. und Dileptus anser (O.F. Muller, 1786) (Protozoa, Ciliophora)] (Morphology and Infraciliature of Perispira pyriformis nov. spec., Cranotheridium foliosus (Foissner, 1983) nov. comb., and Dileptus anser (O.F. Muller, 1786) (Protozoa, Ciliophora). Arch.Protistenk 128:305-317, 1984

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The morphology and the infraciliature of Perispira pyriformis nov. spec., Cranotheridium foliosus (Foissner, 1983) nov. comb., and Dileptus anser Muller, 1786 are described from small alpine water bodies. Perispira pyriformis differs from known species of this genus by its marked pear-shaped body. The infraciliature consists of approximately 19 somatic kineties, 1 perioral kinety with paired basal bodies and a dorsal brush of 3 rows. The spiraling oral bulge may be derived from the straight oral bulge of Spathidium. This is supported by the observation that nematodesmata occur only in the anterior part of the oral bulge. Cranotheridium foliosus differs from the other species of this genus by its body shape and the nuclear apparatus. The infraciliature consists of about 25 somatic kineties and 1 perioral kinety with paired basal bodies from which very delicate nematodesmata originate. The dorsal brush is composed of several short rows at the left lateral side and 3 longer rows at the dorsal side. Perispira pyriformis and Cranotheridum foliosus have the peculiarities of the Spathidiidae and can be classified without difficulty into this family. Dileptus cygnus Claparede and Lachmann, 1859 is synonym with Vibrio anser O.F. Muller, 1786 (compare Dingfelder 1962). It is characterized by the conspicuous long and contractile proboscis and numerous contractile vacuoles extending to the top of the proboscis. The strongly variable number of the somatic kineties in different populations (see Grain and Golinska 1969) suggests the occurrence of presently inseparable sibling species.