Difflugia alekperovi, Snegovaya & Tahirova, 2015

Snegovaya, N. Yu. & Tahirova, E. N., 2015, A New Species Of Testate Amoebae Of The Genus Difflugia From The Freshwaters Of Azerbaijan (Rhizopoda, Testacea, Difflugiidae), Vestnik Zoologii 49 (2), pp. 99-104 : 101-102

Difflugia alekperovi sp. n. ( fig. 4–7 )

Type specimens. Holotype on slides N L–14 and paratypes on slides N L–15–17, collection of Protistology Laboratory of the Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences, Baku city, Azerbaijan.

T y p e l o c a t i o n. In the sediments of small forest water reservoir near Azfilial settlement (38°40ʹ56.5˝ N; 48°46ʹ58.5˝ E; 51 m a. s. l.) and sediments of Khanbulanchay water reservoir (38°40ʹ10.99˝ N; 48°46ʹ05.87˝ E; 73 m a. s. l.) (Lenkoran District, Azerbaijan).

D e s c r i p t i o n. The shell in water samples from light- to dark-brown, in glycerol discolored to transparent. The cell shape is slightly ovoid, almost rounded. Shell length 86–188 µm, width 81–162 µm Shell surface is rough and covered with irregularly-shaped siliceous plate particles and pieces of diatoms. Terminally located aperture is very small (11–25 µm), circular, not surrounded with particles. Morphological and morphometrical characteristics of D. alekperovi sp.n. are shown in figures 4–7 and table 1. Living cells not observed. Very rare species, we found it only in autumn and spring.

D i a g n o s i s. The shell is almost rounded, with very small rounded aperture. Difflugia alekperovi sp.n. is similar to Difflugia subaequalis Penard, 1910 , D.lithoplites Penard, 1902 , D. lebes sphaerica Gauthier-Lièvre et Thomas, 1958 , D. lebes masurica Schönborn, 1965 , D.geosphaira Ogden, 1991 , D.globulosa Dujardin,1837 , D. globularis Wallich, 1864 , D.minuta var. grandis Gauthier-Lièvre et Thomas, 1958, but differs: from Difflugia subaequalis by more rounded shell, smaller aperture, different shell covering; from D. lithoplites by shape and size of aperture and different shell covering; from D. lebes sphaerica and D. lebes masurica by more rounded shell, aperture size and shell covering; from D. geosphaira by more rounded shell, absence of collar, by aperture shape and size; from D. globulosa by more rounded shell, smaller size of the aperture; different shell covering; from D. globularis by more rounded shell, much smaller size of the aperture, different shell covering; from D. minuta var. grandis by more rounded shell form and different shell covering. Diagnostic characters of Difflugia species are given in table 2 and on fig. 8–28.

E t y m o l o g y. The species was named in honor of the famous Azerbaijanian. protistologist, Prof. Ilham Alekperov.

Figures

Fig. 4–7. Difflugia alekperovi sp. n.: 4–5 — LM photographs; 6–7 — SEM photographs. Рис. 4–7. Difflugia alekperovi sp.n.: 4–5 — фотографии,выполненная при помощи световой микроскопии (LM); 6–7 — фотографии, выполненная при помощи электронной микроскопии (SEM).