Operculigera Kane, 1969

Mayén-Estrada, Rosaura & Clamp, John C., 2016, An annotated checklist of species in the family Lagenophryidae (Ciliophora, Oligohymenophorea, Peritrichia), With a brief review of their taxonomy, morphology, and biogeography, Zootaxa 4132 (4), pp. 451-492 : 456

· The lorica aperture of Operculigera Kane, 1969

is a simple opening in the lorica wall rather than an invaginated loricastome ( Fig. 7 ), and the aperture is closed by a flexible flap of lorica material (operculum) rather than a pair of lips ( Clamp 1991; Clamp & Kane 2003).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Characteristics of Operculigera. A, Dorsal view of O. montanea; B, Dorsal view of O. asymmetrica; C, Sagittal section of O. asymmetrica; D, Ventral view of operculum of O. insolita; E, Frontal view of operculum of O. seticola; F. Dorsal view of the anterior part of the lorica of O. madagascarensis showing the thickened ventral part of the operculum (see D, F) in outline (thin arrow). A – E, from Clamp 1991; F, from Clamp 1992. Abbreviations: AV, anterior half of vallum; AR, rim of aperture; Lo, dorsal wall of lorica; LP, peristomial lip; Op, operculum; PV, posterior half of vallum; thick arrow, knob-like thickening on ventral surface of operculum that is gripped by the edge of the peristomial lip. All scale bars = 10 µm.