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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 3855

Thomas K. Golder and Denis H. Lynn; Woodruffia metabolica: The Systematic Implications of its Somatic and Oral Ultrastructures. J.Protozool. 27(2):160-169, 1980

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The somatic and oral ultrastructures of Woodruffia metabolica Johnson & Larson are described. The somatic kinetids are dikinetids, with the anterior kinetosome often not ciliated. A transverse ribbon of microtubules and a single post ciliary microtubule are associated with the anterior kinetosome. A transverse ribbon, postciliary ribbon and kinetodesmal fibril are linked with the posterior kinetosome. The posterior transverse ribbons extend posteriad, to the left of the kinety, joining more anteriorly originating transverse ribbons in a compound LKm fiber. These features together with interkinetosomal linkages relate Woodruffia to other members of the order Colpodida. The oral structures include: (a) a right paroral membrane composed of dikinetids whose postciliary ribbons extend entad to support the cytopharynx; (b) a series of small polykinetids on the left. Only the anterior row of the polykinetids is ciliated and its kinetosomes are square packed. Nematodesmata extend from kinetosomes of left and right oral organellar complexes. The oral structures are similar to those in the colpodid genera Cyrtolophosis and Platyophrya. It is concluded that Woodruffia is properly placed in the order Colpodida but belongs with the Woodruffiidae, a family separate from the Colpodidae and Cyrtolophosididae. At present, it is not possible to related the colpodids closely with any other group within the Ciliophora.