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46 • "PROTIST—2016
correspondance analysis to identify a microhabitat preference. Except for the head, pleopods and telson, lagenophryid ciliates were attached to 2-9 amphipod body regions, and greatest prevalence was found on coxae, followed by pereiopods. For Cuitzeo Lake individuals the total L. patina loricae abundance was from 617-1165, being the coxae with the highest values (626), and for Xochimilco Lake L. patina showed a highly significative preference for coxae for their attachment (X2=1752.01, P<0.0001); we also obtained the same highly significant result for Cuitzeo Lake symbiotic system (with X2=1317.8, P < 0.0001). These results could be explained by the shape and function of appendages of amphipods, providing the water flow derived by host movements and swimming, carrying food and oxygen for symbiotic ciliate.
Acknowledgements. To Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (PAPIIT-DGAPA-UNAM), for the funds to project IN229811 for Cuitzeo Lake samples collection. To all participants of PAPIIT IN229811 project for their support in samples collection, especially to Biól. M. Reyes and M. C. Maricela Vicencio, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, for technical procedures.
COMPARATIVE MORPHOMETRY OF LEIDY-ANA SP. (EUGREGARINORIDA) AND ITS FIRST RECORD IN CONOCEPHALUS ICTUS (ORTHOPTERA: ENSIFERA: TETTIGO-NIIDAE) FROM MEXICO Medina-Durán J.H.1, Mayén-Estrada R.1, Mariño-Pérez R.2, Song H.2
1 - Laboratorio de Protozoología, Departamento de Biología Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Av. Universidad 3000, C.P. 04510, Ciudad de México, México
2 - DepartmentofEntomology, TexasA&M University, College Station, Texas, USA [email protected]
Leidyana is a genus of apicomplexan eugregarine inhabiting the digestive tract of insects, mainly lepidopterans and orthopterans. Its classification is mainly based on the shape of their epimerite, protomerite, deuteromerite and oocyst, and also on their gametocyst dehiscence. Nevertheless, morphometrical data of the species belonging to this genus have been also considered in order to establish reliable descriptions but is not a main criterion for its identification. In the present work we compared the morphometric attributes of Leidyana sp. a parasite of Conocephalus ictus collected in Tlanchinol, Hidalgo, Mexico, with
two species that also infect orthopterans belonging to the same suborder (Ensifera) but different families and infraorder (Gryllidea) and belonging to the Old World. These species of Leidyana also possess epimerites resembling the ones found of Leidyana sp. The three species measurements comparison was made using a one-way ANOVA and a correspondence analysis (n=20 each sample). We found significative differences in the epimerite length and width, considered as an important character for the eugregarines taxonomy to genus and species level identification. Additionally we show the first record of a species of genus Leidyana parasitizing the gut lumen of an orthopteran of the infraorder Tettigoniidea, family Tettigonidae, as well for Mexico. Key words: eugregarines, Mexico, Leidyana.
Acknowledgments: To Biol. Margarita Reyes Santos for her advice in the stain techniques.
SOME NOTES ON THE MORPHOLOGY, GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION AND 18S rRNA GENE SEQUENCE OF A FRESHWATER OXY-TRICHID CILIATE (HYPOTRICHIA: OXY-TRICHIDAE) FROM MEXICO Méndez-Sánchez Daniel1, Mayén-Estrada Rosaura1, Hu Xiaozhong2, Luo Xiaotian2, Song Weibo2
1 - Laboratorio de Protozoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000 Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
2 - Laboratory ofProtozoology, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University ofChina, Qingdao 266003, China [email protected]
Species of genus Oxytricha are characterized by 18 frontal-ventral-transverse cirri, one right and one left row of marginal cirri, undulating membranes and dorsal kineties usually in Oxytricha-pattern, and also the presence of caudal cirri. We collected some samples from a Mexican freshwater lake and we isolated Oxytricha granulifera (Foissner & Adam, 1981). Our individuals presented six dorsal kineties compared with the Austrian population (with five dorsal kineties) collected in a terrestrial environment. All available records of O. granulifera were plotted and obtained a broad geographic distribution. Considering the 18S rRNA gene sequence, our species grouped with other O. granulifera strains and populations available in GenBank. Due to the number of dorsal kineties we propose that Mexican population could be considered like a subspecies of O. granulifera.
Acknowledgements: To Posgrado en Ciencias Biolygica UNAM and CONACyT for the grant to
Protistology ■ 47
D. Méndez-Sánchez. To IRCN-BC for the grant to D. Méndez-Sánchez for a short stay at Laboratory of Protozoology OUC. Special thanks to Miss Chundi Wang and Mr. Zhishuai Qu (Laboratory of Protozoology, OUC) for their technical assistance in the molecular procedures and staining protocols respectively. We thankful to people from Tziscao, Chiapas, who allowed us recollected samples.
DIVERSITY OF THECAMOEBID AMOEBAE (AMOEBOZOA: DISCOSEA: THECAMOE-BIDAE) Mezentsev Y.S.
Saint-Peterburg State University [email protected]
Amoebae of the family Thecamoebidae are widely distributed in the different environments: salt and fresh water and soil. These protists are relatively easy to isolate and cultivate. They are relatively easy determining to genus, or even to species, thus representing a convenient object for many kinds of studies. The frequency of occurrence of species is very different: there are rather common ones like Thecamoeba quadrilineata, T. similis and T. orbis as well as numerous species known from few findings or never re- isolated since initial description. Many of these species were studied only at the light-microscopic level and require investigation with modern methods, including electron microscopy and molecular studies (this especially concerns the genus Thecamoeba and genera ofunclear systematic position like Pseudothecamoeba and Thecochaos). Our studies show that "hotspot" of Thecamoeba diversity is terrestrial habitats — soil, grass, dry leaves and surface of trees. During our studies we isolated 20 strains of Thecamoeba; some were identified as known species (Thecamoeba aesculea, T. similis, T. quadrilineata and T. terrícola) and 6 strains, which represent new species of the genus Thecamoeba. We have found two new strains of amoebae belonging to the genus Sappinia. In contrast, amoebae of the genus Stenamoeba were never found in terrestrial samples. Our data shows that species diversity of thecamoebid amoebae remains considerably underexplored.
Supported with Russian Science Foundation grant 14-14-00474.
ESTABLISHING CRYPTOSPORIDIUM AS A
MODEL FOR STUDYING THE BIOLOGY
AND EVOLUTION OF APICOMPLEXANS
AND UNIQUE ORGANELLES
Miller C., Brown I., Howard M., Michaelis M.,
Tsaousis A.
University of Kent, UK
Cryptosporidium spp. display a number of unusual traits, distinct from other apicomplexans; notably a smaller genome and the absence of an essential organelle, the apicoplast. There are also intra-species differences, such as a reduced mitochondrion in C. parvum and C. hominis, in size and functions. Studying these organisms holds great potential for our understanding of how the apicomplexans diverged. Studies of Cryptosporidium are inhibited by a limited selection of in-vitro culturing systems, with short lifespans and production volumes. Using a novel cell line for propagation we have seen a significant increase in parasite production volume as well as a longer lifespan, which have enabled the development of many new techniques for studying Cryptosporidium and its cell biology and biochemistry. Amongst these new techniques is the development of NMR and Mass spectrometry protocols, which have been optimised to examine the metabolic flux of the parasite, as well as investigating the role of the mitosome. We have also acquired many electron microscopy (EM) images ofthe parasite during its life cycle, identifying details of structures at levels previously unseen in the literature. Furthermore, using Immuno-EM we have shown the first experimental evidence of the function of the mitosome in C. parvum, with the localisation of iron sulphur cluster biosynthesis proteins.
DIVERSITY AND TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF CRYPTOMYCOTA AND APHELIDA, TWO OVERLOOKED GROUPS OF PARASITES IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS Moreira D.1, Jardillier L.1, Bertolino P.1, Karpov S.A.2, Lopez-Garcia P.1
1 - Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS - University Paris-Sud, Orsay, France
2 - Zoological Institute, Russian Academy ofSciences, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation [email protected]
Basal-branching fungi, especially chytrids, are important heterotrophic members of aquatic microbial food chains, especially in freshwater. More recently, two additional groups very distantly related to fungi, Cryptomycota (or Rozellomycota) and Aphelida, have also been found to be ubiquitous members of freshwater microbial communities. Together with the Microsporidia, they form the recently described superphylum Opisthosporidia. All known opisthosporidian species are parasites of very diverse eukaryotic hosts. Remarkably, both cryptomycetes and aphelids are able to feed by phagotrophy, a chief difference with microsporidia
