Metanophrys sinensis Song & Wilbert 2000
Creators: name: Pan, Xuming
name: Fan, Xinpeng
name: Gao, Shan
name: Chen, Ying
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Protozoa
Ciliophora
Oligohymenophorea
Philasterida
Orchitorphryidae
Metanophrys
Metanophrys sinensis

description: Metanophrys sinensis Song & Wilbert, 2000
Figs 4E, 6; Table 2
This species was described by Song & Wilbert (2000) in detail based on their Qingdao population. In the current work, it is reported for the first time from South China Sea. An improved diagnosis is provided herein based on all these data; the improved parts are highlighted in bold.
Improved diagnosis
Slender to elongated oval body shape; in vivo about 25–50 × 10–20 µm with pointed anterior end; buccal field about 30%–50% of body length; mostly ten somatic kineties, of which somatic kinety 1 consists of c. 35 basal pairs; M1 composed of two rows, each with 7–10 kinetosomes, longer than M2; two-rowed M2; contractile vacuole pore located near posterior end of kinety 2; extrusomes present; marine habitat.
Description of Zhanjiang population
Body 25–30 × 10–15 µm in vivo, usually elongate-oval in outline, with anterior end distinctly pointed and posterior rounded (Fig. 6 A–B). Body asymmetrical in outline when viewed ventrally, with anterior end slightly curved sideways (Fig. 6 A–B). Ventral side almost straight, while dorsal side convex. Buccal field 2/5 to ½ of body length, with cytostome located anterior to equatorial plane of body (Fig. 6C). Cilia densely packed, about 7–8 µm long. Caudal cilium about 15 µm in length (Fig. 6B). Pellicle thin and slightly notched, with extrusomes about 2–3 µm long and dense beneath cortex (Fig. 6D). Endoplasm colourless to greyish, containing several food vacuoles and bar- or dumbbell-like crystals, which are usually 3 µm long and located in anterior and posterior regions of body (Fig. 6 A–B, G). One large round to oval macronucleus approximately centrally located, with many small, irregularly shaped nucleoli on surface. Contractile vacuole about 5 µm in diameter and caudally positioned near ventral side (Fig. 6B). Movement with no special features, including swimming moderately fast, sometimes continuously swimming in water without pause.
Ten somatic kineties arranged longitudinally, and dikinetids about ¾ of length of each in anterior part (Fig. 6J). Buccal apparatus consists of three Parauronema -like membranelles (Fig. 6 E–F). M1 slightly below apex and composed of two rows of kinetids with 7–10 basal bodies each, and longer than M2. M2 two-rowed, containing about five basal bodies in each row. M3 located close to M2, normally with three short, obliquely arranged rows of basal bodies. Scutica Y-shaped, with several pairs of kinetosomes (Fig. 6I). Silverline system in quadrangular mesh-pattern (Fig. 6H). Contractile vacuole pore located near posterior end of kinety 2.
Ecological features
Salinity 21‰, pH 7.3 and water temperature 26 °C.
description: Published as part of Pan, Xuming, Fan, Xinpeng, Gao, Shan & Chen, Ying, 2016, Taxonomy and morphology of four " ophrys-related " scuticociliates (Protista, Ciliophora, Scuticociliatia), with the description of a new genus, Paramesanophrys gen. nov., pp. 1-18 in European Journal of Taxonomy 191 on page 10, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2016.191, http://zenodo.org/record/3837739