Uncinata bradburyae
Creators: name: Ghaffar, Abdul
name: Bai, Yang
name: Hu, Xiaozhong
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Chromista
Ciliophora
Hypotrichea
Urostylida
Urostylidae
Uncinata
Uncinata bradburyae

description: Uncinata bradburyae (Gong et al., 2001)   Luo et al., 2015  
 Description (Figures 3, 5, Table 2)   
Cell size in vivo quite variable, 160–340 × 40–70 μm, mostly 240 × 45 μm; ratio of length to width about 4–7:1; body flexible and contractile, shape generally elongated fusiform and somewhat sigmoidal (Figures 3A, 5A–C). Anterior end broad, round, often slightly bent to left, with anterior-left margin slightly snout-like (Figures 3A, 5A, C); posterior end narrowly round and spoon-like (Figures 5B, E). Dorsoventrally flattened, ventral side flat while dorsal side vaulted at mid-body. Two kinds of cortical granules: one is smaller pigments (0.5–1 μm in diameter), yellowish, irregularly arranged subpellicularly, which render cells brownish to yellowish at low magnification (Figure 5E); the other is larger, 1–1.5 μm across, colourless, discoid with central depression (erythrocyte-shaped), densely arranged underneath cortex (Figure 5F), which is very likely a kind of extrusome because in protargol-stained specimens they are often ejected with a hair-like process (Figure 5H). The former will burst over live observation or fade during cultivation. Food vacuoles variable in size, often containing diatoms, located at middle portion of cell (Figure 5B, arrows). No contractile vacuole observed. Macronuclear nodules numerous, each ovoidal (Figures 3B, D, 5G, I, J), distributed circumferentially, which can be recognised even in live observation (Figure 5A, D). Replication bands of DNA visible in interphasic cells (Figure 5K, arrowheads). Movement moderately fast, crawling on substrate, and always jerking back and forth.  
Abbreviations: CV = coefficient of variation, in %; ALMR = the transverse part of left marginal row; PLMR = the longitudinal part of left marginal row; Max = maximum; Mean = arithmetic mean; Min = minimum; n = number of specimens examined; SD = standard deviation; SE = standard error of mean.  
Buccal field about one-quarter to one-third of body length in live cells, its proximal part covered by a thick buccal lip (Figures 3A, 5A–C). Adoral zone bipartite by a conspicuous gap (Figures 3D, 5A, arrowhead, 5G, M, arrow); frontal portion including 21–34 membranelles, with the distal ones extending down to about half of buccal field length (Figures 3B, arrow, D, E, 5A, D, G, M, N); ventral portion consisting of 18–34 membranelles, each basically composed of 4 rows of kinetosomes, the anteriormost row shortest, with only 2 or 3 basal bodies, the third and fourth rows equal in length, the second one intermediate in length (Figures 5K, L, N, inset). Cilia of frontal membranelles about 14 μm long. The bases of posteriormost 2–5 membranelles distinctly lengthened, up to 30 μm wide (Figures 3B, D, E, 5I, double arrowhead, 5K and L, arrows). Paroral and endoral membranes parallel to each other for the most part but intersecting spatially at posterior ends, the latter longer than the former; both almost dikinetidal except in the posterior part of paroral membrane of a few specimens trikinetidal, kinetosomes arranged more densely in paroral membrane than in endoral membrane (Figures 3B, D, 5J, M, N).  
One buccal cirrus ahead of paroral membrane (Figures 3D, arrow, 5M, double arrowhead, N). Several frontal cirri arranged in an atypical bicorona, of which 3 are enlarged and positioned on anterior cell margin (Figures 3E, 5M and N, arrowheads). Two small, relatively fine frontoterminal cirri located close to distal membranelles (Figures 3D, 5M). Midventral complex composed of cirral pairs, which are arranged in typical zig-zag pattern, extending anteriorly continuous with frontal cirri and posteriorly to the rear end of cell; the right cirrus in each pair usually larger than the left one in interphasic cells (Figures 3B, D, 5G, M, N), whereas both cirri almost equal in size in filial cells just after fission (Figure 3D). Transverse cirri row extending anteriorly to about mid-body (Figures 3B, D, E, 5G). Invariably 2 fine pretransverse ventral cirri (Figure 3D). One marginal row on each side of cell, both being distinctly separated by transverse cirri at posterior end (Figures 3B, D, E, 5G). Left marginal row with 9–18 transversely arranged cirri at anterior portion, which are located at buccal vertex covering the proximal adoral membranelles (Figures 3B and 5N, double arrowhead, 5J, arrow); right marginal row commencing right of frontoterminal cirri (Figure 3B, E, 5G, N). Frontal and transverse cirri 15 μm long, other cirri 12 μm in length.  
Nine to 11 dorsal kineties, of which the right 5 or 6 kineties extend the whole length of body and the middle ones are shortened anteriorly (Figure 3A, B); basal body pairs closely spaced, with only the anterior basal body bearing a cilium about 3 μm in length.  
 Deposition of specimens. A voucher slide (registration number: HX20230418-2) with protargol-stained specimens has been deposited in the Marine Biological Museum, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.   
 Ecological data. Occurring commonly during the period from late autumn to midspring. Water temperature 14.2–21.2°C, pH 8.1–8.2, salinity 33.8–34.7‰, and Dissolved oxygen 5.78–7.87 mg /L.   
 Note on binary fission (Figures 4A–E and 6A–H, M, N)   
A few dividers were obtained, which show some details of this part of the life cycle. In a middle divider, the new anlagen of marginal rows originate independently from the old structures on each side; meanwhile, the frontal–ventral–transverse cirral anlagen appear. Only a few old cirri dedifferentiate during the formation of these anlagen (Figures 4A, 6H, arrow), and the opisthe̍s anlage occurs earlier than the proter̍s. Simultaneously, two sets of anlagen for dorsal kineties are formed de novo subpellicularly, the right one appearing as several short kineties near the rightmost old dorsal kinety (Figure 4A, 6G, arrows), the left as a long streak close to the leftmost parental dorsal kinety (Figure 6A). With the proliferation of basal bodies in later stages, the right dorsal kinety anlagen lengthen, and become a lantern-like structure composed of five or six equally long streaks in a subcortical pouch (Figures 4B, inset, C, E, 6B, arrowheads, C, arrows). The left dorsal kinety anlagen also elongate and consist of two long rows at both ends and several short rows in the middle portion (Figures 4B, C, D, 6D, F, arrows). These anlagen finally migrate dorsally to replace the old structures in the filial product (Figure 6M).
description: Published as part of Ghaffar, Abdul, Bai, Yang & Hu, Xiaozhong, 2023, First record of two urotsylid ciliates (Protozoa: Ciliophora: Spirotrichea) from Japan expanding the circumscription of species, pp. 724-743 in Journal of Natural History (Oxford, England) (Oxford, England) 57 (9 - 12) on pages 731-736, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2023.2206586, http://zenodo.org/record/8071692