Heterotrophic ¯ agellates (Protista) from marine sediments of Botany Bay, Australia
Author
Lee, Won Je
Author
Patterson, David J.
text
Journal of Natural History
2000
34
483
562
journal article
1464-5262
Rhynchomonas nasuta
Klebs, 1893
(®gures 1l, 2r)
Description.
Gliding cells with a bulbous motile snout. Cell 3.5±6 Mm long, 2.5±4 Mm wide, ¯attened, ¯exible. The snout, which contains a mouth, beats slowly. The anterior ¯agellum lies alongside the snout and is hard to see, and the trailing ¯agellum is about 2±2.7 times the cell length, and is acronematic. Cells consume attached bacteria. Commonly observed.
Remarks.
The length of
R. nasuta
has previously been reported to be from 3 to 11 Mm. This species has been found in marine sites in
Antarctica
, North Atlantic, subtropical and tropical
Australia
,
Brazil
,
Canada
,
Denmark
,
Fiji
, Gulf of
Finland
,
Greenland
, Hawaii,
Norway
and Equatorial Paci®c (
Griessmann, 1913
;
Throndsen, 1969
,
1970
;
Burzell, 1973
;
Larsen and Patterson, 1990
; Vùrs, 1992a, 1992b, 1993a;
Patterson
et al
., 1993
; Vùrs
et al
., 1995;
Ekebom
et al
., 1996
;
Patterson and Simpson, 1996
;
Tong
et al
., 1997
,
1998
;
Bernard
et al
., 1999
).
Rhynchomona s
nasuta
is common and widespread, but usually does not occur in large numbers. Our observations are in good agreement with those of
Larsen and Patterson (1990)
. This species can be distinguished from small species of
Amastigomonas
by the bulbous snout.