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Amastigomonas mutabilis (Griessmann 1913) Molina and Nerad 1991

David J. Patterson
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Containing group: Amastigomonas

Introduction

This species of Amastigomonas is distinguished by its large size and by having granules lying adjacent to the trailing flagellum on its ventral side.

Characteristics

The species is usually elliptical in shape and has been reported to be from 7 to 16 µm long. It is, like other members of the genus, dorso-ventrally flattened and flexible. There is a flexible sleeve around the base of the anterior flagellum. This flagellum is about 0.5 times the length of the cell, and it is the same thickness as the posterior flagellum. The recurrent posterior flagellum is slightly longer than the cell and trails under the body, to which it attaches loosely in a slight groove. The nucleus is situated subapically near the right margin of the cell. Some cells have granules alongside the recurrent flagellum.

Distribution

This species has been recorded from marine sites in subtropical Australia, Brazil, Denmark, England, France, Greenland and North Atlantic (Lee and Patterson, 2000).

Discussion

This species was first described as Rhynchomonas mutabilis (Griessmann 1913). It was then transferred to Thecamonas by Larsen and Patterson (1990) and to Amastigomonas by Molina and Nerad (1991). The species is distinguished because it is bigger than the more common A. debruynei, because it has a longer anterior flagellum and because it may have ventral granules. However, as noted under A. debruynei, the distinctions may not be sustainable as A. debruynei overlaps with A. bermudensis in size (A. bermudensis is 8-11.5 µm long) , and A. bermudensis overlaps with A. mutabilis. Also, A. mutabilis overlaps with A. terricola in the appareance of the anterior flagllum.

Other Names for Amastigomonas mutabilis (Griessmann 1913) Molina and Nerad 1991

References

Griessmann, K. 1913. Über marine Flagellaten. Archiv für Protistenkunde 32 (year 1914): 1-78.

Larsen, J. and Patterson, D. J. 1990. Some flagellates (Protista) from tropical marine sediments. Journal of Natural History 24: 801-937.

Lee, W. J. and Patterson, D. J. 2000. Heterotrophic flagellates (Protista) from marine sediments of Botany Bay, Australia. Journal of Natural History 34: 483-562.

Molina, F. I. and Nerad, T. A. 1991. Ultrastructure of Amastigomonas bermudensis ATCC 50234 sp.nov. - a new heterotrophic marine flagellate. European Journal of Protistology 27: 386-396.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Amastigomonas mutabilis
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © 2000 David J. Patterson
Scientific Name Amastigomonas mutabilis
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © 2000 David J. Patterson
About This Page
Text and images copyright © 2000 David J. Patterson

David J. Patterson
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to David J. Patterson at

Page: Tree of Life Amastigomonas mutabilis (Griessmann 1913) Molina and Nerad 1991. Authored by David J. Patterson. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Patterson, David J. 2000. Amastigomonas mutabilis (Griessmann 1913) Molina and Nerad 1991. Version 18 September 2000. http://tolweb.org/Amastigomonas_mutabilis/20490/2000.09.18 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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