Morphology and molecular phylogeny of four Frontonia species from Turkey (Protista, Ciliophora) Author Kizildag, Sibel Author Yildiz, Ismail text Zootaxa 2019 2019-05-24 4609 3 548 564 journal article 26669 10.11646/zootaxa.4609.3.9 25c4f1e0-b8d8-4374-95e1-141c08c34533 1175-5326 3228064 CE779A20-0B72-4917-98B2-2EFEC0604CDF Frontonia leucas (Ehrenberg, 1833) Brodsky, 1908 Bursaria leucas Ehrenberg, 1833 Bursaria (Frontonia) leucas Ehrenberg, 1838 Frontonia leucas (Ehrenberg, 1833) Brodsky, 1908 FIGURE 1. F. leucas from life (a–c, g) and after silver staining (d–f) . Ventral-lateral view (a–c) . Infraciliatures of the ventral (d) , dorsal (e) and buccal (f) areas. Part of pellicle, to show extrusomes (g) . Abbreviations: AL: argentophilic line; C: Cilia; CC: collecting canal; CV: contractile vacuole; D: diatom; E: extrusome; EP: excretory pore; FA: filamentous algae; FV: food vacuole; Ma: macronucleus; Mi: micronucleus; OA: oral apparatus; P1-P3: peniculi 1, 2, and 3; PK: postoral kineties (arrowheads in f); PM: paroral membrane; PoS: postoral suture; PrS: preoral suture; VK1-3: vestibular kineties 1, 2, and 3. Scale bar = 150 µm. FIGURE 2. F. leucas from life (a–g) and after silver staining (h–k) . Cytoplasm and contractile vacuole views in typical F. leucas (a–g) . Ventral (h) and dorsal (i) views of the infraciliature and nuclear apparatus. Argyrome (j) . Detailed structures of buccal region (k) . Abbreviations: CC: collecting canal; CV: contractile vacuole; D: diatom; EP: excretory pore; FA: filamentous algae; FV: food vacuole; Ma: macronucleus; OA: oral apparatus; P1-P3: peniculi 1, 2, and 3; PM: paroral membrane; PoS: postoral suture; PrS: preoral suture; VK1-3: vestibular kineties 1, 2, and 3. Scale bar = 120 µm. Description of the Turkish populations: Size huge and varied in vivo, about 335–510 × 175–310 µm , but mostly about 400 × 220 µm , cells dorso-venrally slightly flattened, and an elliptical outline with slightly narrowed posterior end when viewed dorsally or ventrally ( Figs. 1a, b, d, e ; 2 a–c). Macronucleus is ellipsoidal with variable position in the cell, which is located in the anterior or mid-body. Single contractile vacuole located mid-body with very conspicuous, long, and branched 10–12 collecting canals; 1 excretory pore located right of the dorso-lateral ( Figs. 1a ; 2a, b , d–i). Extrusomes spindle-shaped, about 9–10 µm long, attached perpendicularly to cell pellicle ( Figs. 1a, 1g ). Cytoplasm colorless or slightly grey; containing food vacuoles filled with filamentous algae, diatoms, and other small organisms that rendered the cytoplasm green, yellow, and brown. Somatic cilia about 8–9 µm long and forming 120–200 longitudinal somatic kineties and 6–8 postoral kineties ( Figs. 1a, 1g ; 2 a–c, 2e). Oral apparatus triangular in shape, about 1/8–1/9 of body length, positioned at the anterior 1/3 of cell ( Table 1 ; Figs. 1a, b, d, f ; 2h, 2k ). Three vestibular kineties to the right of the buccal cavity, 3 peniculi on the left wall of the cavity, each composed of 4–5 kinetosome rows. Single-rowed paroral membrane surrounding the right side of the buccal cavity ( Figs. 1d, f ; 2h, k ).