Morphogenetic observations on the marine ciliate Euplotes vannus during cell division (Protozoa: Ciliophora)

Abstract

Morphogenetic events during the division of the marine ciliate, Euplotes vannus (Müller, 1786) Diesing, 1850 were investigated using protargol impregnation: (1) the opisthe's oral primordium develops de novo in a subsurface pouch above the marginal cirri; (2) the cirral anlagen for the frontal, ventral and transverse cirri in both dividers develop separately on the surface epi-apokinetally, cirrus I/1 and marginal anlagen for daughter cells are formed de novo separately; (3) the dorsal kinety anlagen occur in a non-typical primary pattern within the parental structures at mid-body, of which the 3 right-most ones produce the 3 caudal cirri for the proter; and (4) the opisthe acquires 2 caudal cirri from the end of the right-most 2 kineties. Based on the data available, the reasons for the variation in the number of caudal cirri in E. vannus are discussed.