Main Content
< Top page

The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Cryptopharynx

Cryptopharynx Kahl, 1928 (ref. ID; 3690)
  1. Cryptopharynx enigmaticus Dragesco (ref. ID; 3690)
  2. Cryptopharynx multinucleatum Dragesco, 1960 (ref. ID; 3690 original paper)
  3. Cryptopharynx setigerum Kahl (ref. ID; 3690, 3771)
  4. Cryptopharynx setigerum Kahl var. furcatum Dragesco, 1960 (ref. ID; 3690 original paper)
  5. Cryptopharynx setigerus Kahl (ref. ID; 2117, 4875 redescribed paper)
  6. Cryptopharynx wardi Small & Lynn, 1985
    See; Apocryptopharynx wardi (ref. ID; 4875)

Cryptopharynx setigerus Kahl (ref. ID; 2117, 4875 redescribed paper)

Descriptions

[ref. ID; 4875]
  • Right lateral somatic infraciliature: The right surface of C. setigerus is densely ciliated. The cilia are arranged in slightly oblique rows which extend between distinct cortical crests and are gradually shortened in the anterior right and posterior left portion of the cell. The crests contain few, strongly argyophilic granules grouped to small clusters at the margins of the cell, especially between the dikinetids of the dorsolateral kinety. The entire infraciliature consists of dikinetids which, however, have a highly specialized ciliation and fibrillar system. The dikinetids are aligned approximately parallel to the kinety axes, except in the anterior portion of the kineties, where they become almost transversely oriented and more closely spaced, forming a densely ciliated ribbon. Both basal bodies of the dikinetids are ciliated in the main part of the cell. The posterior cilium is lacking in 1-5 dikinetids at the posterior end of the ciliary rows and in all anterior, transversely oriented dikinetids. The dikinetids are associated with three very faintly stained fibrillar systems which form a conspicuous lattice. The thick fibres, which extend obliquely across and closely underneath the kineties, are recognizable only in the anterior body half. The fibrillar lattice is lacking or, at least, not stained in the anterior region of the cell where the dikinetids are transversely orientated. The most interesting specializations are found the rightmost kinety, which commences pre-equatorially and extends along the dorsolateral margin and the broadly rounded posterior end to the postoral ventral surface of the cell. This U-shaped ciliary row, which is obviously homologous to the dorsolateral kinety found in Loxodes and Remanella (Foissner & Rieder 1983; Foissner 1996), only has the anterior basal bodies of the dikinetids ciliated (in the ventral portion, however, the posterior basal bodies appear ciliated, simple because the kinety curves upward from the posterior end!. The cilia of the dorsolateral kinety are rather stiff, like those of the left lateral kinety, and were thus misinterpreted as "pointed spines" by Kahl (1928) and Kirby (1934). The ciliated basal body of the dikinetids of the dorsolateral kinety is associated with a fine, long fibre extending to the centre of the cell. This fibre is very likely, homologous to the "right oblique fibre" found in normal somatic dikinetids. (ref. ID; 4875)
  • Left lateral somatic infraciliature: The left side of C. setigerus is barren, except for the body margins, where widely space dikinetids with rather stiff cilia reside. A distinct gap, 1-2 dikinetids wide, occurs at the level of the oral apparatus. The anterior and oral dikinetids have the anterior basal bodies ciliated, whereas the postoral ventral dikinetids have the posterior basal body ciliated. Thus, the orientation of the left lateral dikinetids appears inverted by 180 degrees both anterior and posterior of the gap. This peculiar pattern is most parsimoniously explained with the assumption of a single kinety extending along the body margins, quite similarly to the dorsolateral kinety. (ref. ID; 4875)
  • Oral infraciliature: The oral apparatus of C. setigerus is located on the broad, very flat prominence at the anterior left end of the cell. The buccal overture is roundish to broadly elliptical and usually only its right margin is distinct. A buccal cavity is not recognizable although distinct fibres originate from the buccal kineties. Oral infraciliature is simple and composed of three differently organized kineties. Two kineties (right buccal kineties 1, 2) extend semicircularly around the right, anterior and posterior margin of the buccal overture. Buccal kinety 1 is composed of closely spaced dikinetids very likely having only the outer (right) basal bodies ciliated. Buccal kinety 2 consists of comparatively widely spaced dikinetids which have the anterior basal body ciliated. Distinct fibres originate from the dikinetids of both right buccal kineties and extend obliquely dorsad, forming some sort of oral basket. Very likely, these fibres originate from both basal bodies of the dikinetids. The third buccal kinety, which is very likely located within the buccal cavity, consists of 3-4 dikinetids only. The dikinetids of this intrabuccal kinety form a short, slightly curved row and have the posterior basal body ciliated. Each kinetid is associated with a delicat fibre originating from the barren basal body; in the central dikinetid(s) both basal bodies have such a fibre. (ref. ID; 4875)

    Comments

    My life observations on this species are not very detailed and match the careful descriptions and diagrams given by Kahl (1928) ad Kirby (1934) to which the reader is reffered. However, I did not observe the pronounced size variability (33-96x21-45 um) mentioned by these authors. Possibly, it is caused by the fact that Kahl and Kirby combined observations from several populations, which usually increases variability, or used material contaminated with specimens from another, similar species. Very likely, they did not confuse C. setigerus with Apocryptopharyx hippocampoides because both described the buccal overture as "oval", whereas that of A. hippocampoides is distinctly elliptical. (ref. ID; 4875)