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r 2006 The Author(s)
Journal compilation r 2006 by the International Society of Protistologists
DOI: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2006.00112.x
ABSTRACT. Two marine peritrich ciliates, Vorticella fusca Precht (1935) and Vorticella parapulchella n. sp. were discovered in the
littoral zone of Qingdao, northern China. Their morphology, infraciliature, and silverline system were described using live observation and
silver impregnation. The poorly known species V. fusca is redescribed, adding information about the oral infraciliature and pellicular
morphology. Vorticella parapulchella n. sp. is superficially similar to Vorticella pulchella Sommer (1951) but is distinguished from it by
being markedly smaller and having much more widely spaced pellicular ridges. The infundibular infraciliature of V. parapulchella is
extremely unusual in having infundibular polykinety 3 reduced to two rows, one of which has almost disappeared.
Key Words. Infraciliature, morphology, new species, taxonomy.
Living cells were observed with differential interference microscopy. The infraciliature was revealed by staining with protargol according to the method of Wilbert (1975). The silver
nitrate method (Song and Wilbert 1995) was used to demonstrate
the silverline system. Drawings of stained specimens were performed at 1,250 with the aid of a camera lucida.
RESULTS
Vorticella fusca Precht (1935) (Table 1 and Fig. 14, 916)
Description of Qingdao population. Cell measuring approximately 95110 5565 mm in vivo (Table 1), campanulateto barrel-shaped (Fig. 1, 2, 4, 10, 11). Peristomial collar relatively
thin and body constricted deeply beneath it (Fig. 1, 11); maximum
width of cell usually at oral end; peristomial disk flat and obliquely elevated above peristome (Fig. 1, 4, 10, 11). Pellicle striations can be seen above 400 magnification (Fig. 14), but surface
of cell appears completely smooth at low magnifications.
Cytoplasm colorless or slightly grayish, and some well-fed cells
packed with many grayish or yellowish food granules (Fig. 2, 4, 10,
11). Single large contractile vacuole dorsally located (Fig. 1, 12,
Vorticella fusca
Mean SD
range, n
Vorticella
parapulchella
Mean SD
range, n
99.8 3.4
95.0110.0, 11
59.3 2.4
55.065.0, 11
37.5 3.8
32.045.0, 15
35.2 4.1
2841, 15
69.2 3.3
6773, 10
28.4 1.7
25.030.0, 9
23.8 1.0
20.025.0, 9
18.1 0.8
1719, 14
17.4 0.7
1618, 14
10.6 1.1
912, 10
17.0 1.3
1619, 10
7.9 0.9
79, 7
348
349
Fig. 19. Vorticella fusca and similar congeners. 1. Dorsal view of V. fusca from Qingdao in vivo. 2. Living individuals of V. fusca from Qingdao;
representative extended zooids at low magnification. 3. Infundibular infraciliature of V. fusca in dorsal view, arrow with numerals indicates numbering
convention for polykineties and rows of kinetosomes within each polykinety; protargol preparation. 4. Ventral view of V. fusca from Qingdao in vivo.
5. Living individual of V. fusca from Precht (1935). 6. Living individual of Vorticella longiseta from Dietz (1964). 7. Living individual of Vorticella
convallaria from Foissner et al. (1992). 8. Living individual of Vorticella similis from Kahl (1935). 9. Entire oral infraciliature of V. fusca in ventral view,
arrowhead marks epistomial membrane; protargol preparation. G, germinal kinety; H, haplokinety; Po, polykinety; P13, infundibular polykinety 13.
(Scale bars: Fig. 19, 4 5 50 mm; Fig. 2 5 150 mm.).
Oral infraciliature. Haplokinety (H) and polykinety (Po) complete approximately one circuit together around peristome and
continue into infundibulum, where they separate and make a complete circuit on opposite walls of the passageway before ending at
or near the cytostome (Fig. 3, 9, 16). Polykinety 1 (P1) accompanied by two additional polykineties (P2, P3) in infundibulum.
All infundibular polykineties composed of three rows of kinetosomes spread sufficiently far apart to be distinct. Adstomal ends of
rows in P1 terminate at slightly different levels; row 1 shortest;
350
Fig. 1016. Photomicrographs of Vorticella fusca from Qingdao. 10. Living zooid under low magnification. 11. Living zooid at 400 magnification. 12. Living zooid at 1,000 magnification; arrow indicates the contractile vacuole positioned close to the peristome. 13. Detail of stalk. Arrow
indicates highly refractile greenish granules; arrowhead marks grayish granules. 14. Living zooid at high magnification focused to show the pellicular
ridges. 15. Silverline system; silver nitrate preparation. Dark spots are pores; arrowheads indicate aboral trochal band. 16. Detail of infundibular polykineties; protargol preparation. P13, infundibular polykinety 13. (Scale bars: Fig. 10 5 80 mm; Fig. 11, 11, 12 5 40 mm.).
row 3 slightly longer than row 1; row 2 several kinetosomes longer than other two rows. P2 terminating between and above adstomal ends of P1 and P3, with row 3 slightly separated from other
two at abstomal end. P3 with three rows, of which rows 1 and 2 are
conspicuously shorter than row 3. Adstomal end of row 3 of P3
terminating near cytostome at same level as row 3 of P1. Germinal
kinety (G) lying parallel to the haplokinety within upper half of
infundibulum (Fig. 9). Epistomial membrane short and located
near opening of the infundibulum (Fig. 9, arrowhead).
Aboral trochal band composed of single band of loosely
arranged, paired kinetosomes encircling cell near aboral end
(Fig. 15, arrowheads).
Silverline system consisting of many parallel, transversely oriented pellicular striations, numbering 6773 between peristomial
area and aboral trochal band and 1619 between aboral trochal
band and scopula, with many sparsely distributed pellicular pores
(Fig. 15). Pellicular striations unevenly arranged: approximately
0.9 mm apart between aboral trochal band and scopula and 0.6 mm
apart in oral part of cell.
351
Fig. 1727. Vorticella parapulchella n. sp. and similar congeners. 17. Dorsal view of typical zooid in vivo. 18. Extended zooid at low magnification.
19. Detail of stalk, showing thecoplasmic granules in spasmoneme. 20. Silverline system; silver nitrate preparation. 21. Surface of living individual in
profile showing widely spaced pellicular ridges. 22. Detail of infundibular polykineties, arrow indicates highly reduced row 2 of P3; protargol preparation. 23. Representative extended and contracted zooids in vivo. 24. Living individual of Vorticella striata from Song (1991a). 25. Living individual of
Vorticella jaerae from Precht (1935). 26. Living individual of Vorticella pulchella from Sommer (1951). 27. Entire oral infraciliature in ventral view;
protargol preparation. ATB, aboral trochal band; EM, epistomial membrane; G, germinal kinety; H, haplokinety; Po, polykinety; P13, infundibular
polykinety 13. (Scale bars: Fig. 17 5 15 mm.).
from scopula to oral area (Fig. 37), and linking there to each other
to form an encircling strand just beneath peristomial collar.
Zooids often closely grouped together and forming pseudocolonies of up to 30 zooids (Fig. 23). Telotroch stage was not observed.
Peristomial part of oral infraciliature consisting of typical haploand polykinety, which are parallel to one another and make one- and
one-quarter turns on edge of peristome. Epistomial membrane short,
located at opening of oral cavity (Fig. 27, 32, arrow). After entering
infundibulum, haplo- and polykinety spiral on opposite walls and
end at border of cytostome. Infundibular part of haplokinety
352
Fig. 2837. Photomicrographs of Vorticella parapulchella n. sp. 28. Typical zooid in vivo showing the contractile vacuole. 29. Living zooid at low
magnification. 30. Detail of stalk, arrowheads indicate thecoplasmic granules. 31. Living zooid at high magnification focused to show the pellicular
ridges. 32. Apical view of zooid, arrow marks epistomial membrane; protargol preparation. 33. Dorsal view of zooid showing the infraciliature. Arrows
mark aboral trochal band. 34. Silverline system; silver nitrate preparation. 35. Lateral view of zooid showing the macronucleus; protargol preparation.
36. Silverline system, arrowhead indicates the aboral trochal band; silver nitrate preparation. 37. Protargol preparation showing myonemes. G, germinal
kinety; Ma, macronucleus; P13, infundibular polykinety 13. (Scale bars: Fig. 28 5 20 mm; Fig. 29 5 40 mm.).
almost to abstomal end of P2, extending adstomally almost to cytostome (Fig. 22, 27).
Aboral trochal band composed of three rows of kinetosomes
encircling cell at approximately 1/6 of body length from scopula
(Fig. 20, 36).
Silverline system typical of genus, and pellicular striae widely
spaced. Approximately nine to 12 pellicular striations between
peristomial area and aboral trochal band, seven to nine pellicular
353
Body length
in vivo (mm)
Body width
in vivo (mm)
Number of
pellicle striations
Habitat
Source of data
Vorticella fusca
V. convallaria
96106
4095
5664
2253
8392
89117
Marine
Freshwater
V. similis
V. similis
4090
5580
?
?
?
98112
Freshwater
Freshwater
V. similis
V. nebulifera
V. longiseta
5280
3067
82
?
1733
50
103114
4351
?
Soil
Marine
Marine
Present paper
Foissner, Berger, and
Kohmann (1992)
Kahl (1935)
Foissner and Schiffmann
(1975)
Foissner (1981)
Song (1991a)
Dietz (1964)
aspects, e.g. in cell shape and in some other morphological characters (Table 2); however, the former can be identified by its
larger size (95110 mm vs. 4090 mm) and different habitat (marine vs. freshwater) (Kahl 1935).
The well-known marine form, Vorticella nebulifera also seems
to be similar to our species. It can be clearly identified by its
conspicuously smaller size (3067 mm vs. 95110 mm) and lower
number of transverse silverlines (3539, 812 vs. 6773, 1619 in
V. fusca) (Table 2 and Fig. 40) (Song 1991a).
One incompletely described species (infraciliature unknown),
Vorticella longiseta Dietz (1964), has the large body size, bellshaped body, and marine habitat characteristic of V. fusca and
therefore should be compared with it. Vorticella longiseta can be
distinguished from V. fusca by its smaller cell size (82 50 mm
vs. 100 60 mm in vivo), conspicuously more slender body shape
(vs. bell shaped) and shape of macronucleus (C-shaped vs. Jshaped) (Table 2 and Fig. 6) (Dietz 1964).
Vorticella fusca Precht (1935)
(Table 1 and Fig. 14, 916)
Emended diagnosis. This diagnosis incorporates previously
undescribed features of the infraciliature and silverline system.
Large marine Vorticella, measuring approximately 100 60 mm
in vivo; zooid bell-shaped with thin peristomial collar; macronucleus J-shaped; one contractile vacuole dorsally positioned; number of transverse silverlines from scopula to aboral trochal band
1619 and from aboral trochal band to peristomial area 6773;
rows of infundibular polykinety 1 (P1) unequal in length, row 2 of
P1 longer than other two rows; abstomal end of row 3 of P2 diverging slightly from other two rows; rows 1 and 2 of P3 much
shorter than row 3 of P3, ending adstomally far short of adstomal
ends of row 3 of P3 and rows of P1.
Deposition of specimens. One slide of protargol-impregnated
specimens was designated as a neotype and deposited in the Lab-
Body length
in vivo (mm)
Body width
in vivo (mm)
Number of
pellicle striations
Habitat
Source of data
2530
46
3050
2028
2240
4053
2025
40
?
?
1624
?
1621
?
2035
1830
3439
?
Marine
Freshwater
Soil
Freshwater
Marine
Marine
Present paper
Sommer (1951)
Foissner (1981)
Foissner (1979)
Song (1991a)
Precht (1935)
354
Fig. 3850. Vorticella similis, Vorticella campanula, Vorticella nebulifera, Vorticella astyliformis, Vorticella costata and representative
infraciliature of Vorticella species whose oral infraciliature has been described. 3842. Living individual of V. similis (38, from Foissner and Schiffmann 1975), V. campanula (39, from Foissner et al. 1992), V. nebulifera (40, from Song 1991a), V. astyliformis (41, from Foissner 1981) and V. costata
(42, from Foissner 1979). 4346. Infraciliature of V. astyliformis (43, from Foissner 1981), V. similis (44, from Foissner 1981), Vorticella infusionum
(45, from Foissner et al. 1992) and Vorticella aquadulcis (46, from Foissner et al. 1999). 4749. Infundibular polykineties of V. vernalis (47, from
Foissner, et al. 1999), V. campanula (48, from Foissner et al. 1992), Vorticella chlorellata (49, from Wang, Shi, and Hu 2004). 50. Infraciliature of
Vorticella convallaria from Foissner et al. (1992). P13, infundibular polykinety 13.
355
Fig. 51ar. Infundibular polykineties of Vorticella, Pseudovorticella, Carchesium, and Epicarchesium species whose oral infraciliature has been
described. 51aj. Infundibular polykineties of Vorticella campanula (51a, after Foissner et al. 1992), Vorticella convallaria (51b, after Foissner et al.
1992), Vorticella chlorellata (51c, after Wang et al. 2004), V. fusca (51d, after original paper), V. vernalis (51e, after Foissner et al. 1999), V. similis (51f,
after Foissner 1981), Vorticella infusionum (51g, after Foissner et al. 1992), Vorticella aquadulcis (51h, after Foissner et al. 1999), Vorticella astyliformis
(51i, after Foissner 1981), V. parapulchella (51j, after original paper). 51ko. Infundibular polykineties of P. monilata (51k, after Foissner et al. 1992),
P. clampi (51l, after Ji et al. 2005b), P. sinensis (51m, after Ji et al. 2003), P. elongata (51n, after Leitner and Foissner 1997), P. paracratera (51o, after Ji
et al. 2004a). 51pr. Infundibular polykineties of C. polypinum (51p, after Lom 1964), E. granulatum (51q, after Leitner and Foissner 1997), E. abrae
(51r, after Ji et al. 2004b). Arrow with numerals indicates numbering convention for polykineties and rows of kinetosomes within each polykinety.
scription and that of Songs (1991a) convince us that the population of V. pulchella reported by Song was a misidentification and
should be considered conspecific with V. parapulchella.
Different from Vorticella astyliformis, our new species is a
marine form (vs. soil), is smaller (2530 vs. 3050 mm), has different number of pellicular striations (912 vs. 1730 from peristomial region to aboral trochal band; 79 vs. 35 from aboral
trochal band to scopula in V. astyliformis), and has a different
pattern of P3 (row 2 extremely short vs. two rows about equal
length) (Table 3 and Fig. 41, 43) (Foissner 1981).
Vorticella costata (Fig. 41) is also similar to our new species
considering body shape and general appearance in vivo, but it can
be clearly recognized by the freshwater habitat (vs. marine) and
different number of pellicular striations (1425, 45 vs. 912, 7
9) (Table 3 and Fig. 42) (Foissner 1979).
Vorticella parapulchella can be distinguished clearly from
Vorticella striata, another small form, by its conspicuously spher-
ical body shape (vs. cylindrical body shape of V. striata) and the
quite different number of pellicular striations (912, 79 vs. 29
32, 57 in the latter) (Table 3 and Fig. 24) (Song 1991a). Vorticella jaerae Precht (1935) is also small but is characterized by a
larger body size than in V. parapulchella (4053 vs. 2530 mm)
and different body shape (bell-shaped vs. spherical in shape in V.
parapulchella) (Table 3 and Fig. 25) (Precht 1935).
Vorticella parapulchella n. sp.
(Table 1 and Fig. 1723, 2737)
Synonymy. Vorticella pulchella sensu Song (1991a, p. 122).
Diagnosis. Small marine Vorticella, measuring approximately
30 mm 25 mm in vivo; zooid spherical in shape with a wide,
swollen peristomial collar; macronucleus C-shaped; single contractile vacuole ventrally positioned; pellicular ridges prominent;
number of transverse silverlines from peristome to aboral trochal
356
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of
China (project number: 30430090) and a publication fund from
the King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, awarded to AL-Rasheid.
Thanks are due to Mr. Dapeng Xu, Laboratory of Protozoology,
OUC, for making protargol preparation of Vorticella parapulchella and collecting samples.
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Received: 12/14/05, 03/08/06, 04/17/06; accepted: 04/20/06