Clevelandella klobasa, Kotyk & Bourland & Soviš & Méndez-Sánchez & Škaloud & Varadínová & Čepička, 2024

Kotyk, Michael, Bourland, William A., Soviš, Matyáš, Méndez-Sánchez, Daniel, Škaloud, Pavel, Varadínová, Zuzana Kotyková & Čepička, Ivan, 2024, Morphology maưers: congruence of morphology and phylogeny in the integrative taxonomy of Clevelandellidae (Ciliophora: Armophorea) with description of six new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 202 (1), pp. 1-51 : 10

Clevelandella klobasa sp.nov.

( Figs 12 , 13 ; Supporting Information, Table S11)

Description based on population from STH hosts from Papua Neo Guinea: Large Clevelandella , size in vivo 146–206 × 61–98 µm, usually about 170 × 80 µm; size in protargol preparations 123–163 × 61–80 µm, usually about 135 × 71 µm. Overall cell outline in ventral view more or less symmetrical, broadly lanceolate, widest at middle of cell, anterior cell end bluntly pointed, dorsoventrally flattened; peristomial projection inconspicuous, merges gradually with cell body proper at midline, thus predominant left lobe absent. Peristomial opening broad. Macronucleus long, slender sausage-shaped (mean 63 × 12 µm) ( Figs 12A , B, 13A, C, D), anterior end rounded, posterior end rounded ( Fig. 13A , B) or abruptly tapered to short point ( Fig. 13C ); extends along nearly entire right margin of body proper, convex toward right body margin ( Fig. 13A , C). Chromatin coarsely granular. Karyophore not identified. Micronucleus (4.7 × 4.3 µm) globular, adjacent to anterior right margin of macronucleus ( Figs 12A , B, 13B, D). Swims slowly.

Somatic cilia present on only anterior two-thirds of cell. Somatic ciliature composed of about 102 narrowly-spaced kineties, arranged in typical Clevelandella pattern. Right sutural kinetofragments not observed.

Peristomial projection indistinct, i.e. flares as it gradually merges with body proper. Lateral part of peristomial opening wide (23 µm) ( Fig. 13A–C ). Adoral zone extends about 56% of body length, composed of 59 membranelles (N = 3), markedly curved right at about three-quarters of length. Fine morphology of POM ( Fig. 13D ) not determined with certainty.

Occurrence: Clevelandella klobasa is extremely rare as it was found only in two out of 10 dissected individuals of STH: a male and a small juvenile, each of them from a different family group. The population density was very low in both cases, with no more than 15 cells of C. klobasa sp. nov. present in the entire hindgut. In both cases, C. klobasa co-occurred with cells of Paraclevelandia brevis (once also in ‘simplex’ form) and Nyctotherus sp ..

Figures

Figure 12. Schematic drawings of Clevelandella klobasa sp. nov.from life (A) and after protargol impregnation (B–D). A, ventral view of a typical individual. B, ventral view.C, ventral infraciliature. D, dorsal infraciliature. AZM, adoral zone of membranelles; CPK, cilia of circumperistomial kineties; CV, contractile vacuole; HL, hyaline subcortical layer; Ma, macronucleus; Mi, micronucleus; POM, paroral membrane; POV, peristomial overture; SK, somatic kineties. Scale bars: 40 µm.

Figure 13. Clevelandella klobasa sp. nov.in vivo (A–C) and after protargol impregnation (D). From STH. A, left ventrolateral view showing thick hyaline subcortical layer (white arrowheads), cilia of adoral membranelles (black arrow), and margin of the peristomial overture (black arrowhead). B, left lateral view showing thick hyaline subcortical layer (white arrowheads), contractile vacuole (black arrowhead), and micronucleus (white arrow).C, optical section showing adoral membranelles (black arrow) and contractile vacuole (black arrowhead).D, left ventrolateral view (optical section) showing micronucleus (white arrow), adoral membranelles (black arrowhead), and paroral membrane (black arrow).Ma, macronucleus.Scale bars: 20 µm.