Operculigera zeehanensis Kane, 1969

Clamp, John C. & Kane, John R., 2003, Redescription of Four Species of Lagenophryid Peritrichs (Ciliophora) from Australia and New Guinea, With Descriptions of Two New Species, Records of the Australian Museum 55 (2), pp. 153-168 : 157

Operculigera zeehanensis Kane, 1969

Fig. 2 ; Tables 2, 6, 7

Operculigera zeehanensis Kane, 1969: 369 .– Jankowski, 1986: 82; Clamp, 1991: 365.

Redescription. Lorica hemispheroidal, suboval in dorsal view, slightly wider than long. Lorica asymmetrical in dorsal view; width of right half from midline to edge noticeably greater than width of left half from midline to edge. Rim of lorica not thickened. Dorsal surface of lorica without curved ridge. Posterior part of vallum reduced to slightly thickened ridge. Anterior and lateral parts of vallum moderately tall; posterior edges of lateral parts sloping moderately to posterior part of vallum, giving anterior and lateral parts symmetrically rounded profile as a whole. Free edge of vallum smooth, even, lacking projections of any sort. Long strip near base of inner wall of each anterolateral part of vallum moderately thickened and projecting inward to form prominent, protruding fold. Rim of lorica aperture moderately thickened. Operculum subcuneate in dorsal view. Anterior edge of operculum moderately thickened to form narrow, ventral shelf; ventral shelf smooth, lacking processes.

Macronucleus elongate, cylindroid, usually folded to make compact mass. Macronucleus located in left half of body. Micronucleus ovoid, located almost always near centre of macronucleus rather than near either end.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the locality from which the type host was collected.

Type material. LECTOTYPE, AUSTRALIA, Tasmania, near Zeehan; W. Drummond; on Phreatoicoides longicollis Nicholls, 1943 , pleopods . Lectotype slide with lectotype organism marked by inscribed circle (Erlich’s hematoxylin), AM P62813 .

Figures

Figs. 1, 2. (1) Operculigera montanea, Erlich’s hematoxylin preparation. Dorsal view of lectotype individual from the type locality and host, AM P62810. (AD) thickened ridge that bounds anterior depression in dorsal surface of lorica; (AR) rim of lorica aperture; (AV) anterior and lateral parts of vallum; (C) peristomial cilia originating from epistomial disk (shown in outline only); (Cy) cytoplasm (sparsely stippled areas—food vacuoles and other taxonomically irrelevant structures are omitted); (ED) epistomial disk; (EM) myonemes that retract epistomial disk (densely stippled column anchored to ED); (I) infundibulum—this is a passageway through which food particles pass to reach the cytostomal area (the bulbous ampulla leading to a tubular cytopharynx that lies beyond the constriction at the end of the infundibulum); (LR) rim of lorica—the localized areas with large accumulations of lorica material (large arrow) are not typical; (MaN) macronucleus—the micronucleus is the small, dense, darkly stained body nestled in the central area of the macronucleus; (Op) operculum (the slightly displaced left side of the closed operculum is an artefact); (PM) myoneme in edge of peristomial lip that effects closure of the operculum; (TV) thickened strip in the anterolateral wall of the vallum; small arrow, vestigial posterior part of the vallum—to see species of Operculigera with this part of the vallum fully developed, consult Clamp (1991). (2) Operculigera zeehanensis, Erlich’s hematoxylin preparation. Dorsal view of lectotype individual from the type locality and host, AM P62813. The folding o ver of the left edge of the vallum (small arrow) is an artefact. The micronucleus was hidden underneath the macronucleus and is therefore not shown. The unfolded macronucleus indicates that this individual was probably approaching cell division when it was fixed. Most individuals in the sample examined had the ends of the macronucleus folded together.