Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 1191 No. 1: 1 May. 2006
Type: Articles
Published: 2006-05-01
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1191.1.5
Page range: 61–68
Abstract views: 79
PDF downloaded: 2

A new endoparasitic gregarine genus, Stomatocystis indica gen. nov., sp. nov. (Apicomplexa: Sporozoea: Stomatophorinae) from the seminal vesicles of an Indian earthworm (Annelida: Oligochaeta) Amynthas diffringens Baird

Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, West Bengal, India Tel. +91-033-25820432; Fax: +91-033-25828282
Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, West Bengal, India
Protozoology and Parasitology Research Laboratory, Zoology Section, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, Bornova 35100, Izmir, Turkey
Annelida Acephaline gregarine new genus Stomatocystis indica gen. nov. sp. nov. earthworm seminal vesicle India

Abstract

During the exploration of acephaline gregarines from oligochaete hosts in India, unique forms were obtained from the seminal vesicles of the earthworm, Amynthas diffringens Baird in Midnapore of West Bengal and are being proposed as a new genus Stomatocystis gen. nov. under the subfamily Stomatophorinae Bhatia, 1930. This gregarine possess oblong body, a mucron transformed into a sucker, complex myocyte and navicular oocysts with truncated ends, thereby justifying its inclusion under the subfamily Stomatophorinae of the family Monocystidae. By possessing, at the anterior end of the body, a crater-like sucker, rimmed by a collar (4.8–7.1 µm), inside of which are parallel protoplasmic ridge-like processes (8.3–10.5 µm in length) which are separated by furrows (1.1–1.6 µm spaced apart), the gregarine can not be assigned to any of the 10 genera under the subfamily Stomatophorinae. Gamonts are oblong. Length and width of gamonts range from 44.0–96.0 (70.5 ± 1.1) µm and 29.0–59.0 (44.0 ± 1.2) µm respectively. Length and width of nucleus range from 11.5–20.0 (17.0 ± 1.1) µm and 9.5–15.0 (13.0 ± 1.2) µm respectively. Gametocysts are ovoidal and their diameter (GD) ranges from 72.0–102.0 (90.0 ± 1.9) µm. Oocysts navicular. Length and width of oocysts range from 7.9–11.0 (9.0 ± 1.1) µm and 3.0–4.0 (3.7 ± 1.1) µm respectively. This species is described as Stomatocystis indica gen. nov., sp. nov. in this paper.

References

  1. Bandyopadhyay, P.K. & Mitra, A.K. (2004) Description of a new species Zygocystis levinei sp. n. (Eugregarinida, Zygocystidae), from the earthworm Amynthas nicholsoni (Oligochaeta) from West Bengal, India. Protistology, 3, 227–231.

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K. & Mitra, A.K. (2005a) Observations on two new species of Monocystis Stein, 1848 (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Monocystidae) Monocystis darjeelingensis sp. n. and M. ranaghatensis sp. n. from earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) of West Bengal, India. Animal Biology, 55, 123–132.

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K. & Mitra, A.K. (2005b) Observations on two new species of Nematocystis Hessé, 1909 (Protozoa: Monocystidae) from earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) of West Bengal, India. Animal Biology, 55, 133–139.

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K. & Mitra, A.K. (2005c) Observations on a new species of Monocystis Stein, 1848 (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Monocystidae) Monocystis levinei sp. nov. from an Indian earthworm (Annelida: Oligochaeta) Eutyphoeus incommodus. Zootaxa,1016, 15–19.

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K. & Mitra, A.K. (2005d) Stomatophora cloptoni sp.n. (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida) from the seminal vesicles of an Indian Earthworm. Acta Protozoologica, 44, 385–388.

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K. & Mitra, A.K. (2005e) Description of a new gregarine species, Zygocystis perionyxae sp. n. (Protozoa: Zygocystidae), from the earthworm Perionyx gravelleyi (Annelida: Oligochaeta) from West Bengal, India. Protistology, 4, 91–95.

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K. & Mitra, A.K. (2006a) Biology of Monocystis clubae sp.nov. (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida) from an Indian earthworm Lampito mauritii (Annelida: Oligochaeta) of India. Zootaxa, 1120, 51–55.

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K., Mallik, P. & Mitra, A.K. (2006b) Monocystis apporectodae sp. nov. (Protozoa: Apicomplexa:Eugregarinida), from an ndian earthworm Apporectodea trapezoides Duges. Türkiye Parazitoloji Dergisi, 30 (1), 51-53.

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K., Mallik, P. & and Mitra, A.K. (2006c) Nematocystis indica sp. n. (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida), an endoparasitic monocystid gregarine from the seminal vesicles of an Indian earthworm Amynthas diffringens Baird (Annelida: Oligochaeta). Protistology, (in press).

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K., Roychoudhury, U.S. & Biswas, G. (2001) Stomatophora majumdari sp. n. (Apicomplexa: Sporozoa) An acephaline gregarine in the seminal vesicles of earthworm of West Bengal, India. Uttarpradesh Journal of Zoology, 21, 221–224.

    Bandyopadhyay, P.K., Roychoudhury, U.S. & Biswas, G. (2004) Descriptions of Two New Species of Acephaline Gregarines (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida), Apolocystis chotonagpurensis sp. n. and Stomatophora janovyi sp. n. from Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) of India. Acta Protozoologica, 43, 275–279.

    Bhatia, B.L. & Chatterjee, C.B. (1925) On some gregarine parasites of Indian earthworms. Archives für Protistenkunde, 52, 189–206.

    Bhatia, B.L. & Setna, S.B. (1926) On some gregarine parasites of Indian earthworms. Archives für Protistenkunde, 53, 361–377.

    Clopton, R.E. (2004) Standard nomenclature and metrics of plane shapes for use in gregarine taxonomy. Comparative Parasitology, 71, 130–140.

    Ghosh, E. (1923) Monocystids from the earthworms of Calcutta. Journal of Royal Microscopical Society, 423–427.

    Hesse, E. (1909) Contributions a l’edude des Monocystidees des oligochaetes. Archives de Zoologie Experimentale et Génerale, 5, 127–301.

    Kalavati, C. (1979) Monocystis odontotermi n.sp. from the haemocoel of Odontotermes obesus Rambur. Indian Journal of Parasitology, 3, 71–72.

    Kar, A.B. (1946) Observations on Monocystis megascolexae n.sp. from the seminal vesicles of the earthworm Megascolex sp. Calcutta University Journal Department of Science (New Series), 2, 50–52.

    Levine, N.D. (1988) The Protozoan Phylum Apicomplexa, Vol. 1. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA.

    Pradhan, D. & Dasgupta, B. (1980a) Records of some new gregarines in earthworms from the hill areas of Darjeeling district-I. North Bengal University Revision (Science and Technology), 1, 135–139.

    Pradhan, D. & Dasgupta, B. (1980b) Records of some new gregarines in earthworms from the hill areas of Darjeeling district - II. North Bengal University Revision (Science and Technology), 1, 141–143.

    Pradhan, D. & Dasgupta, B. (1982) New gregarines in earthworms from Senchal and Goomti in Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India. Journal of Bengal Natural History Society (New Series), 1, 4–46.

    Pradhan, D. & Dasgupta, B. (1983a) New acephaline gregarines (Apolocystis) in the hill areas of Darjeeling district. Journal of Bengal Natural History Society (New Series), 2, 5–12.

    Pradhan, D. & Dasgupta, B. (1983b) Life history and morphology of Zygocystis indicus n. sp. Journal Bengal Natural History Society (New Series), 2, 17–23.

    Roychoudhury, U.S. & Haldar, D.P. (1984) Studies in aseptate gregarines from earthworms of West Bengal; two new species of Nematocystis and one new species of Stomatophora. Journal of Bengal Natural History Society (New Series), 3, 17–27.

    Subbarao, B.V.S.S.R, Kalavati, C. & Narasimhamurti, C.C. (1979) A new aseptate gregarine, Monocystis pontodrill sp.n. from the littoral oligochaetes, Pontodrilus bermudensis Beddard. Acta Protozoologica, 18, 259–264.