Leptopharynx costatus Mermod, 1914

Bharti, Daizy & Kumar, Santosh, 2019, Ten new records of Protozoan Ciliates (Protozoa: Ciliophora) from India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 119 (2), pp. 111-119 : 116-117

7. Leptopharynx costatus Mermod, 1914 ( Figure 3A, B )

Diagnosis of the Indian population (Data based on 5 specimens): Size about 30 × 20 μm in protargol preparations; shape broadly ellipsoidal with slightly blunt towards left of the ventral side. Nuclear apparatus composed of one spherical and centrally positioned macronuclear nodule and one or two micronuclei near to macronuclear nodule. Oral apparatus near anterior end of body, oral basket composed of nematodesmata bundles.

Two to three adoral membranelles. About nine somatic and three preoral kineties.

Material deposited: Three slides including protargol-impregnated specimens have been deposited at the National Zoological Collections of the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India with the following accession numbers Pt. 4015/4 (7 specimens marked on the slide), Pt. 4014/5 (2 specimens marked on the slide), and Pt. 4198/3 (3 specimens marked on the slide) .

Occurrence and ecology: Thus far, the species Leptopharynx costatus has been recorded from Germany, Mexico, Austria, Brazil and Florida. The present study reports its presence from soil samples collected from the Flamingo Bird Sanctuary (19°06’37’’N 72°59’42’’E; 19°05’46’’N 72°56’01’’E; and 19°06’37’’N 72°59’38’’E). The samples were collected from the terrestrial site with heavy vegetation, grassland inside the butterfly park, and from area with vegetation including grassland, trees and mangrove.It feeds on bacteria .

Subclass RHYNCHOSTOMATIA Jankowski, 1980 Order DILEPTIDA Jankowski, 1978

Family DIMACROCARYONIDAE Vďačný, Orsi, Bourland, Shimano, Epstein and Foissner, 2011

Genus Rimaleptus Foissner, 1984

Figures

Figure 3. Photomicrographs of protargol impregnated specimens. A, B. Leptopharynx costatus, ventral (A) and dorsal (B) views, arrowheads point to the food vacuoles. C, D. Rimaleptus mucronatus. E1, type 1 extrusomes; E2, type 2 extrusomes; MA, macronuclear nodules; MI, micronuclei. Scale bars 15 μm (A, B), 100 μm (D).