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
Ploeotia vitrea
Dujardin, 1841
(®gures 17f, 19c±e)
Description.
Cell oval, about 16±22 Mm long and 10±14 Mm wide, not ¯attened. This species has 10 longitudinal double raised ridges; four dorsally, two laterally, four ventrally. The anterior part of the cell is slightly obtuse and the posterior part of the cell is pointed. The anterior ¯agellum is as long as the cell, and the posterior ¯agellum is thick and twice as long as the cell. The ingestion organelle is well developed with a tiny protrusion at the top of the right-hand rod and tapers posteriorly. The nucleus is located in the right-hand side of the cell and the reservoir is in the left side. Rarely observed.
Remarks.
This species has been found in marine sites in subtropical and tropical
Australia
,
Brazil
,
Fiji
,
Hawaii
and
USA
, and the reported length range is from 16 to 25 Mm (
Farmer and Triemer, 1988
;
Larsen and Patterson, 1990
;
Patterson and Simpson, 1996
). Ultrastructural studies of
Ploeotia vitrea
were conducted by
Farmer and Triemer (1988)
, and
Larsen and Patterson (1990)
. Our observations are in agreement with
Larsen and Patterson (1990)
.
Ploeotia vitrea
can be easily distinguished from other species in the genus by its 10 prominent ridges.