Plagiopyla frontata, KAHL, 1931

PLAGIOPYLA FRONTATA KAHL, 1931 View in CoL

1931: Plagiopyla frontata – Kahl, Tierwelt Dtl., 21: 267; fig. 45.10 (original description, illustrated, no type material available).

1933: Plagiopyla frontata Kahl, 1931 – Kahl, Tierwelt N., p. 74; fig. 9.3 (guide, revision).

2000: Plagiopyla frontata Kahl, 1932 – Esteban et al., J. Nat. Hist., 34: 177–179; figs 34–37 (redescription after silver impregnation).

2007: Plagiopyla frontata Kahl, 1931 – Jankowski, Russian Acad. Sci. , p. 792 (revision).

Improved diagnosis ( Fig. 18H): Body length 78–115 µm on average (total range: 75–120 µm), body width 37–67 µm. Somatic kineties: 40–68. Striated band present although not described. One ovoid macronucleus (estimated size: about 22 × 16 µm) and a single, compact-type micronucleus. One contractile vacuole with two pores opening on the dorsal part of the cell. Cytoproct located on the dorsal part of the cell. Curved extrusomes.

Type locality: Salt water nearby Bad Oldesloe village, and sapropel of Sylt, Germany ( Kahl, 1931) .

Ecology and distribution: Marine, brackish in hypoxic/ anoxic environment. Found in: Germany ( Kahl, 1931, 1933); Denmark, Nivå Bay, the Helsingør Beach and the Isefjord ( Fenchel, 1968) and Danish fjord ( Fenchel et al., 1995); Australia, in Hopkins estuary near Warrnambool ( Esteban et al., 2000).

Gene sequences: 18S rRNA accession number: Z29440 View Materials ( Embley et al., 1995 – authors did not provide morphological description and sampling place of the organism) .

Remarks: In Kahl’s description (1931) it is 80–120 µm long, according to Esteban et al. (2000) it is 75–110 µm long. Esteban and colleagues (2000) indicate P. frontata as ‘Kahl, 1932’, although the description of the species was made in 1931 ( Kahl, 1931 – page 267).