Tracheloraphis

Tracheloraphis is a genus of ciliates in the family Trachelocercidae.

Tracheloraphis
Drawing of Tracheloraphis phoenicopterus by Ferdinand Cohn (1866)
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
(unranked):
SAR
(unranked):
Alveolata
Phylum:
Ciliophora
Subphylum:
Postciliodesmatophora
Class:
Karyorelictea
Order:
Protostomatida
Family:
Trachelocercidae
Genus:
Tracheloraphis

Dragesco, 1960

Description

Like other members of the family Trachelocercidae, Tracheloraphis are relatively large (often >1 mm in length) ciliates with an elongated, worm-like shape, evenly-ciliated cell body, and a distinct "head and neck" region. The cytostome ("mouth", or oral area) is at the apex of the anterior end and is surrounded by cilia (circumoral ciliature). They are distinguished from other genera in the family by having a glabrous stripe, an unciliated area running longitudinally along one side of the body.[1][2]

Tracheloraphis lives in the marine interstitial habitat, living in the water between sediment grains like most karyorelictean ciliates. They are mostly found in fine- to medium-grained sediment where the grain diameter is between 120–400 µm.[3]

Although the "mouth" of the ciliate is usually assumed to be apical, it has been reported that Tracheloraphis can take up food through its glabrous stripe.[4] However, subsequent research has shown that feeding does occur through the apical end in Tracheloraphis and a related genus Sultanophrys, although feeding via the glabrous stripe cannot be completely ruled out.[5]

Systematics

The genus was first defined by Jean Dragesco in 1960, with T. phoenicopterus (Cohn, 1866) (formerly Trachelocerca phoenicopterus) as the type species.[6] At least 55 species of Tracheloraphis have been described.[7]

References
  1. Lynn, Denis H. (2008). The ciliated protozoa : characterization, classification, and guide to the literature. New York: Springer. ISBN 9781402082382. OCLC 272311632.
  2. Carey, Philip G. (1992). Marine interstitial ciliates : an illustrated key (1st ed.). London: Chapman & Hall. ISBN 978-0412406102. OCLC 24715610.
  3. Giere, Olav (2009). Meiobenthology : the microscopic motile fauna of aquatic sediments (2nd ed.). Berlin: Springer. p. 109. ISBN 9783540686576. OCLC 310352202.
  4. Lenk, Susan E.; Small, Eugene B.; Gunderson, John (1984-03-01). "Preliminary observations of feeding in the psammobiotic ciliateTracheloraphis". Origins of Life. 13 (3–4): 229–234. doi:10.1007/BF00927174. ISSN 0302-1688.
  5. Al-Rasheid, Khaled a. S.; Foissner, Wilhelm (1999-09-01). "Apical Feeding in the Karyorelictids (Protozoa, Ciliophora) Sultanophrys arabica and Tracheloraphis sp". Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 46 (5): 458–463. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.1999.tb06061.x. ISSN 1550-7408.
  6. Dragesco, Jean (1960). "Les Ciliés mésopsammiques littoraux (Systématique, morphologie, écologie)". Trav. Stat. Biol. Roscoff. New Series. 12: 1–356.
  7. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Tracheloraphis Dragesco, 1960". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
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