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Amastigomonas terricola Ekelund and Patterson 1997

David J. Patterson
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Containing group: Amastigomonas

Introduction

This species of Amastigomonas is distinguished by its size, by the lack of any excrescences and by the relatively long anterior flagellum.

Characteristics

This species is about 5 µm long. The cell is very flexible. It tapers at the anterior end, and the anterior flagellum is directed to the front of the cell. The proximal part of the anterior flagellum is enclosed in the anterior thin part of the theca to form the rostrum. The rostrum is about the same length as the cell. The posterior trailing flagellum is about twice as long as the cell, and it adheres to the cell. A contractile vacuole is situated at the posterior end of the cell. Movement is erratic, the cell glides along the substrate with small jerks, the anterior flagellum beats fast during movement, and the cell often changes its direction.

Distribution

This species has been recorded from soil in Australia (Ekelund and Patterson, 1997).

Discussion

This species is most similar to A. debruynei, but it has a slightly longer anterior flagellum and a tapering anterior end. It is likely that this distinction cannot be sustained, as continuing work suggests a continuum of form that embraces this species, A. debruynei, A. bermudensis, and perhaps even A. mutabilis.

References

Ekelund, F. and Patterson, D. J. 1997. Some flagellates from a cultivated garden soil in Australia. Archiv für Protistenkunde 148: 461-478.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Amastigomonas terricola
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 terricola Ekelund and Patterson 1997. 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 terricola Ekelund and Patterson 1997. Version 18 September 2000. http://tolweb.org/Amastigomonas_terricola/20491/2000.09.18 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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