Morphology, morphogenesis and molecular phylogeny of a soil ciliate, Pseudouroleptus caudatus caudatus Hemberger, 1985 (Ciliophora, Hypotricha), from Lhalu Wetland, Tibet.
Pseudouroleptus caudatus caudatus Hemberger, 1985, a soil ciliate isolated from Tibet, was studied in vivo and after protargol impregnation. The Tibetan population is mainly characterized by: elongate body with narrowly rounded anterior end and tapered posterior end; length of buccal area relative to body length ca. 20-25%; cortical granules colourless, round, densely distributed throughout sub-pellicular layer of cell; one parabuccal cirrus; post-peristomial cirrus lacking in 75% of specimens analyzed; left and right ventral rows commence at same level; four dorsal kineties; 3-6 inconspicuous caudal cirri; two macronuclear nodules; 2-7 micronuclei; contractile vacuole located at about 33% of body length near left margin. Morphogenesis is characterized by: (1) parental adoral zone of membranelles retained completely; (2) anterior segments of streaks VI and IV and the whole of streak V form the anterior, middle, posterior segments of the mixed row, respectively; (3) right ventral row originates de novo in both daughter cells; (4) marginal rows develop intrakinetally; (5) dorsal kinety anlage 3 develops de novo in the proter and intrakinetally in the opisthe; and (6) the two macronuclear nodules fuse into a single mass which then divides. Molecular phylogenies corroborate the morphological identification and support the close relationship between Pseudouroleptus and Strongylidium.
['Chen|Lingyun|L|', 'Zhao|Xiaolu|X|', 'Ma|Honggang|H|', 'Warren|Alan|A|', 'Shao|Chen|C|', 'Huang|Jie|J|']
D016798:Ciliophora D004275:DNA, Ribosomal D009024:Morphogenesis D010802:Phylogeny D012987:Soil D013045:Species Specificity D018609:Tibet D053833:Wetlands
Morphogenesis Phylogeny Pseudouroleptus caudatus caudatus Hypotricha Taxonomy