Journal
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PROTISTOLOGY
Volume 49, Issue 4, Pages 623-633Publisher
ELSEVIER GMBH
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2013.04.003
Keywords
18S rDNA; Blepharisma; Brazil; Ciliophora; Macronucleus; Morphology
Categories
Funding
- Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) [E-26/110.022/204]
- Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)
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The morphology and morphometric data of seven populations of Blepharisma sinuosum from southeastern Brazil were investigated. The description is based on live observations, protargol impregnation, and scanning electron microscopy. Blepharisma sinuosum measures 75-255 mu m in length and 25-93 mu m in width and has a spindle-shaped body, pink color, a single contractile vacuole located at the posterior end, 50 adoral membranelles, a conspicuous paroral, 17-35 somatic kineties, a moniliform macronucleus with 2-7 connected nodules, and 3-20 micronuclei. Morphological comparisons with similar species were performed and suggest that B. americanum is the junior synonym of B. sinuosum. The 18S rDNA gene sequence of B. sinuosum was obtained and compared with that of other Blepharisma species. The length and GC content of the obtained sequence is 1652 bp and 47.03%, respectively, and has a very high structural similarity (99.9%) with the B. undulans sequence. The validity of the classification of Blepharisma species in morphonuclear subgenera is also discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
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