Oxytricha quadricirrata Blatterer and Foissner, 1988

Ghosh, Subhadeep, Ghosh, Arnab, Bharti, Daizy & Kumar, Santosh, 2022, Four New Records of Ciliated Protists from Lakshadweep, India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 122 (3), pp. 291-298 : 292

2. Oxytricha quadricirrata Blatterer and Foissner, 1988 ( Figure 2 A-D)

Brief description of the Indian population (based on three specimens from live and six from protargol impregnation): Size approximately 55 × 25 μm after protargol preparations; shape is elongate elliptical with a narrow anterior end and a rounded posterior end; dorsoventrally flattened. Contractile vacuole in the left cell margin. Two elliptical macronuclear nodules in or slightly left of the cell mid-line, each with one or two micronuclei attached at various positions. Cortex is flexible and contractile and contains colourless granules arranged in short rows. The buccal cavity is narrow, and the paroral membrane is slightly curved anteriorly. The adoral zone occupies about 37% of body length and is composed of 19 membranelles. On average, there are three frontal cirri, one buccal cirrus, four fronto-ventral cirri, three post-oral ventral cirri, two pretransverse ventral cirri, and invariably four transverse cirri. Marginal rows are non-confluent; left and right marginal rows have 16 cirri and 14cirri, respectively.There are six dorsal kineties, including two dorsomarginal rows. Invariably three caudal cirri, one each at the posterior end of dorsal kineties 1, 2, and 4. Dorsal kinety 3 and 4 are partially separated.

Material deposited: Four slides with protargolimpregnated specimens have been deposited at the National Zoological Collections of the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India, with the following accession numbers: Pt. 4940, Pt 5038, Pt 5242, and Pt 5243.

Occurrence and ecology: Thus far, reported from Australia, Brazil, Slovakia and Venezuela ( Foissner, 1997, 2016; Berger, 1999; Bartosova and Tirjaková, 2005). The Indian population of O. quadricirrata was isolated from a soil sample collected from Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep, India (08°16’0.8”N 73°02’38.6”E). It feeds generally on algae and bacteria.

Figures

Figure 2. Photomicrograph of live (A, B) and protargol impregnated (C, D) specimens of Oxytricha quadricirrata Indian population. A, B. Specimen showing the body shape (A), cortical granules and position of contractile vacuole (B). C, D. Specimens showing ciliature on the ventral (C) and dorsal surface.AZM - Adoral Zone Membranelles; DK1 - Dorsal Kinety 1; DM - Dorsomarginal row; LM - Left Marginal cirral row; CV - Contractile Vacuole. Scale bars: 25 μm.