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Observation of live specimens of Pseudotontonia cornuta (Ciliophora: Oligotrichida) reveals new distinctive characters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2005

Alf Skovgaard
Affiliation:
Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000 Helsingør, Denmark Departement de Biologia Marina i Oceanografia, Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Catherine Legrand
Affiliation:
Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000 Helsingør, Denmark University of Kalmar, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Marine Science Division, S-39182, Kalmar, Sweden
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Abstract

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A large planktonic ciliate, Pseudotontonia cornuta, was observed during a cruise in the North Sea, Denmark, in summer 2001. Live cells as well as fixed and protargol-stained specimens were studied. The species possessed the characteristic tail of Tontoniidae, somatic ciliature classifying it as a Pseudotontonia, and cell proportions and oral ciliature corresponding to P. cornuta. Observation of live cells, however, revealed distinctive features as chloroplast-containing tentacles emerging just below the apical membranelles and an S-shaped proximal rim of the left margin of the oral cavity. These characters are eye-catching in live specimens, but have passed unnoticed till now because all previous studies on P. cornuta have been made on fixed samples.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2005 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom