Small Free-Living Heterotrophic Flagellates from Marine Sediments of Gippsland Basin, South-Eastern Australia
Author
Lee, Won Je
text
Acta Protozoologica
2015
54
1
53
76
https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/2d9e5f2c-507d-342d-bf76-2776eae6f93a/
journal article
298879
10.4467/16890027AP.15.005.2192
a177a1e6-d8dc-4f38-b223-a242595ec33c
1689-0027
10994295
Metromonas grandis
Larsen and Patterson 1990
(
Fig. 4i
)
Observation:
Cells are leaf shaped, 5 to 11 µm long and dorso-ventrally flattened. One side of the cell appears folded. The cells have two flagella of unequal length. The long flagellum is 1.5 to 2.5 times the cell length and trails behind the cell when gliding. The shorter flagellum is inactive, less than 2 µm long, and inserts to the right of the major flagellum and is always present. The nucleus lies near the flagellar insertion. The cells attach to the substratum with the longer flagellum and move with a nodding action – like a pendulum. Relatively common.
Remarks:
This species was reported from marine sites in
Australia
,
Brazil
,
Fiji
, Hawaii and
Turkey
(Aegean Sea), and cell length reported was 5 to 12 µm (
Larsen and Patterson 1990
;
Tong
et al.
1998
;
Lee and Patterson 2000
;
Al-Qassab
et al.
2002
;
Lee 2002b
,
2006b
;
Aydin
and Lee 2012
). Generally, the current observations are in agreement with those of
Larsen and Patterson (1990)
and
Lee and Patterson (2000
; p. 552, Fig. 26f).
Metromonas grandis
is distinguished from
M. simplex
by its cell shape, slightly larger size and folded margin. The cell shape and folded margin may be good diagnostic characters for this species. This species usually co-occurs with
M. simplex
. According to
Lee (2002b)
,
Skvortzov (1957)
reported 9 new
Ancyromonas
species
with one long flagellum, but these species may be gliding stages of
Metromonas
. The short flagellum in
Metromonas
is easy to overlook.