An annotated checklist of species in the family Lagenophryidae (Ciliophora, Oligohymenophorea, Peritrichia), With a brief review of their taxonomy, morphology, and biogeography
Author
Mayén-Estrada, Rosaura
Author
Clamp, John C.
text
Zootaxa
2016
4132
4
451
492
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4132.4.1
ff19b27a-0f58-4285-b3b1-a7c9fa6a5ad2
1175-5326
257628
93EBA74C-E97B-42A6-9D82-1DF346533192
·
Lagenophrys
Stein, 1852
is the largest genus, with 62 known species. The lorica is usually hemispheroidal (
Fig. 2–3
) but is ovoid (
Fig. 4
) in a few species as an adaptation for attaching to setae of the host1. The lorica aperture is an invaginated tube (loricastome) closed by drawing the outer edges (lips) together (
Fig. 2
B–C). Characteristics of the lorica aperture, especially the lips, are remarkably diverse among species of
Lagenophrys
(
Fig. 4
). Details of the lorica aperture are species-specific and, usually, show relatively little intraspecific variation (Clamp 1990); however, the lips of the lorica aperture are highly variable in a few species (Clamp 1990, 1992). Other than their distinctive lorica aperture, members of
Lagenophrys
are unique in undergoing a special sequence of asexual divisions (second-type division) to abandon the exoskeleton of the host.