Tetrahymena limacis from the Terrestrial Pulmonate Gastropods Monadenia fidelis and Prophysaon andersoni.
Authors: KOZLOFF EUGENE N. 
Published: May 2007

SUMMARY. Ciliates referable to Tetrahymena limacis have been found in two native terrestrial pulmonates, Monadenia fidelis (Helicidae) and Prophysaon andersoni (Arionidae), collected in Oregon. The number of complete primary meridians in ciliates in natural infections in M. fidelis has been observed to range from 26 to 32, and the number in ciliates in P. andersoni has been observed to range from 37 to 41. T. limacis from the European Deroceras reticulatum (Limacidae) has shown a range of 32 to 40 meridians. From 20 ciliates pipetted from a single natural infection in M. fidelis into either 1% (w/v) yeast extract (with antibiotics) or an infusion of digestive gland tissue, 16 clones were established successfully. The range in the number of meridians in these cultured ciliates was 24 to 29; eight clones showed a range of 24 to 28. Sixteen clones established in the same way from ciliates taken from P. andersoni showed a range of 26 to 32 meridians; ten clones had a range of 27 to 31. The range in the number of meridians observed in earlier studies of 28 clones established from ciliates from two natural infections in D. reticulatum was 25 to 32.

To determine whether the ciliates from the native pulmonates have a strong host specificity, 50 D. reticulatum were exposed for 10 days to a clone derived from M. fidelis, and 50 were exposed to a clone from P. andersoni. For comparative purposes, 50 slugs were exposed to a clone derived from D. reticulatum. An additional 50 slugs were maintained in a control group. Ten days after the end of the period of exposure, all of the surviving controls (47) and 25 of the slugs in each group exposed to ciliates were examined for infections. The remainder of the surviving slugs in each group were examined 20 days after the period of exposure. Successful experimental infections were noted in each of the groups of slugs exposed to the three clones, and the ciliates in the infections were typical of the parasitic phase of T. limacis. None of the slugs in the control group were infected. Ten days after the period of exposure, the range in the number of complete primary meridians noted in the experimental infections, taken as a whole, by ciliates of the clones from M. fidelis, P. andersoni, and D. reticulatum were, respectively, 26 to 33, 26 to 37, and 29 to 37. The ranges for ciliates in infections by these same clones 20 days alter the period of exposure were 26 to 33, 29 to 37, and 28 to 36. Incomplete rows, up to five in number, occurred in ciliates in experimental infections by each of the clones, but the addition of the number of incomplete meridians to the number of complete meridians did not influence the maximums, except in the case of some infections by the clone from M. fidelis in which a few ciliates showed a total of 34 meridians. It appears that although T. limacis from the native pulmonates will readily infect D. reticulatum, the ciliates from P. andersoni do not attain, at least under the conditions of the experiments which have been conducted, a number of rows exceeding the minimum number of 37 noted in natural infections in P. andersoni.