by
GARY N. GALKINS,
Department of Zoology, Columbia University.
_Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission_ 21:415-468, 1901
Comparatively little has been done in this country upon marine
Protozoa. A few observations have been made by Kellicott, Stokes, and
Peck, but these have not been at all complete. With the exception of
Miss Stevens's excellent description of species of _Lichnophora_ I
am aware of no single papers on individual forms. Peck ('93 and '95)
clearly stated the economic position of marine Protozoa as sources of
food, and I need not add to his arguments. It is of interest to know
the actual species of various groups in any locality and to compare
them with European forms. The present contribution is only the
beginning of a series upon the marine Protozoa at Woods Hole, and
the species here enumerated are those which were found with the algæ
along the edge of the floating wharf in front of the Fish Commission
building and within a space of about 20 feet. Many of them were
observed in the water and algæ taken fresh from the sea; others
were found only after the water had been allowed to stand for a few
days in the laboratory. The tow-net was not used, the free surface
Protozoa were not studied, nor was the dredge called into play. Both
of these means of collecting promise excellent results, and at some
future time I hope to take advantage of them.
My observations cover a period of two months, from the 1st of July
to the 1st of September. During that time I was able to study and
describe 72 species representing 55 genera, all from the limited
space mentioned above. In addition to these there are a few genera
and species upon which I have insufficient notes, and these I shall
reserve until opportunity comes to study them further.
I take this opportunity to express my thanks to Dr. Hugh M. Smith
for many favors shown me while at Woods Hole.
In dealing with these marine forms from the systematic standpoint,
two courses are open to the investigator. He may make numerous new
species based upon minor differences in structure, or he may extend
previous descriptions until they are elastic enough to cover the
variations. The great majority of marine protozoa have been described
from European waters, and the descriptions are usually not elastic
enough to embrace the forms found at Woods Hole. I have chosen,
however, to hold to the conservative plan of systematic work, and to
make as few new species as possible, extending the older descriptions
to include the new forms.
The different classes of Protozoa, and orders within the classes,
are distributed more or less in zones. Thus the Infusoria, including
the Ciliata and the Suctoria, are usually littoral in their habitat,
living upon the shore-dwelling, or attached, water plants and upon
the animals frequenting them. It is to be expected, therefore,
that in forms here considered there should be a preponderance of
Infusoria. Flagellated forms are also found in similar localities,
but on the Surface of the sea as well; hence the number described
in these pages is probably only a small proportion of the total
number of Mastigophora in this region. The Sarcodina, including the
Foraminifera and the Radiolaria, are typically deep-sea forms and
would not be represented by many types in the restricted locality
examined at Woods Hole. Two species, _Gromia lagenoides_ and
_Truncatulina lobatula_, alone represent the great order of
Foraminifera, while the still larger group of Radiolaria is not
represented at all.
The Protozoa described are distributed among the different orders as
follows:*
Class SARCODINA.
Subclass RHIZOPODA.
Order AMOEBIDA.
1. _Amoeba guttula_ Duj
2. _Amoeba_ sp.
3. _Trichosphærium sieboldi_ Schn.
Order RETICULARIIDA.
Suborder IMPERFORINA.
4. _Gromia lagenoides_ Gruber.
Suborder PERFORINA.
5. _Truncatulina lobatula_ Walker & Jacob.
Subclass HELIOZOA.
Order APHROTHORACIDA.
6. _Actinophrys sol_ Ehr.
Order CHLAMYDOPHORIDA.
7. _Heterophrys myriapoda_ Archer.
Class MASTIGOPHORA.
Subclass FLAGELLIDIA.
Order MONADIDA.
8. _Mastigamoeba simplex_, n. sp.
9. _Codonoeca gracilis_, n. sp.
10. _Monas_ sp.
Order CHOANOFLAGELLIDA.
11. _Monosiga ovata_ S. Kent.
12. _Monosiga fusiformis_ S. Kent.
13. _Codonosiga botrytis_ (Ehr.) J. Cl.
Order HETEROMASTIGIDA.
14. _Bodo globosus_ Stein.
15. _Bodo caudatus_ (Duj.) Stein.
16. _Oxyrrhis marina_ Duj.
Order EUGLENIDA.
17. _Astasia contorta_ Duj.
18. _Anisonema vitrea_ Duj.
Order SILICOFLAGELLIDA.
19. _Distephanus speculum_ Stöhr.
Subclass DINOFLAGELLIDIA.
Order ADINIDA.
20. _Exuviælla lima_ Clenk.
21. _Exuviælla marina_ Clenk.
Order DINIFERIDA.
22. _Gymnodinium gracile_ Bergh.
23. _Glenodinium cinctum_ Ehr.
24. _Glenodinium compressa_, n. sp.
25. _Peridinium digitale_ Pouchet.
26. _Peridinium divergens_ Ehr.
27. _Ceratium tripos_ Nitsch.
28. _Ceratium fusus_ Ehr.
29. _Amphidinium operculatum_ Clap. & Lach.
Class INFUSORIA.
Subclass CILIATA.
Order HOLOTRICHIDA.
Family ENCHELINIDÆ.
30. _Lacrymaria lagenula_ Cl. & Lach.
31. _Lacrymaria coronata_ Cl. & Lach.
32. _Trachelocerca phoenicopterus_ Cohn.
33. _Tiarina fusus_ Cl. & Lach.
34. _Mesodinium cinctum_, n. sp.
Family TRACHYLINIDÆ.
35. _Lionotus fasciola_ Ehr.
36. _Loxophyllum setigerum_ Quenn.
Family CHLAMYDODONTIDÆ.
37. _Nassula microstoma_ Cohn.
38. _Chilodon cucullulus_ Müll.
39. _Dysteria lanceolata_ Cl. & Lach.
Family CHILIFERIDÆ.
40. _Frontonia leucas_ Ehr.
41. _Colpidium colpoda_ Ehr.
42. _Uronema marina_ Duj.
Family PLEURONEMIDÆ.
43. _Pleuronema chrysalis_ Ehr.
44. _Pleuronema setigera_, n. sp.
45. _Lembus infusionum_, n. sp.
46. _Lembus pusillus_ Quenn.
Family OPALINIDÆ.
47. _Anoplophrya branchiarum_ Stein.
Order HETEROTRICHIDA.
Family BURSARIDÆ.
48. _Condylostoma patens_ Müll.
Family HALTERIDÆ.
49. _Strombidium caudatum_ From.
Family TINTINNIDÆ.
50. _Tintinnopsis beroidea_ Stein.
51. _Tintinnopsis davidoffi_ Daday.
Order HYPOTRICHIDA.
Family PERITROMIDÆ.
52. _Peritromus emmæ_ Stein.
Family OXYTRICHIDÆ.
53. _Epiclintes radiosa_ Quenn.
54. _Amphisia kessleri_ Wrzes.
Family EUPLOTIDÆ.
55. _Euplotes charon_ Ehr.
56. _Euplotes harpa_ Stein.
57. _Diophrys appendiculatus_ Stein.
58. _Uronychia setigera_, n. sp.
59. _Aspidisca hexeris_ Quenn.
60. _Aspidisca polystyla_ Stein.
Order PERITRICHIDA.
Family LICHNOPHORIDÆ.
61. _Lichnophora macfarlandi_ Stevens.
Family VORTICELLIDÆ.
62. _Vorticella marina_ Greeff.
63. _Vorticella patellina_ Müller.
64. _Zoothamnium elegans_ D'Udek.
65. _Cothurnia crystallina_ Ehr.
66. _Cothurnia nodosa_ Cl. & Lach.
67. _Cothurnia imberbis_ Ehr.
Subclass SUCTORIA.
Family PODOPHRYIDÆ.
68. _Podophrya gracilis_, n. sp.
69. _Ephelota coronata_ Wright.
Family ACINETIDÆ.
70. _Acineta divisa_ Fraip.
71. _Acineta tuberosa_ Ehr.
Family DENDROSOMIDÆ.
72. _Trichophrya salparum_ Entz.
* This classification includes only the orders and families
represented at Woods Hole
Genus AMOEBA Auct.
The pseudopodia are lobose, sometimes absent, the body then
progressing by a flowing movement; the body consists of ectoplasm and
endoplasm, the latter being granular and internal, the former hyaline
and external. There is always one nucleus and one vacuole, but both
may be more numerous. Reproduction takes place by division or by
spore-formation. Fresh-water and marine.
Amoeba guttala Duj. Fig. 1.
A minute form without pseudopodial processes, extremely hyaline in
appearance, and characterized by rapid flowing in one direction.
The body is club-shape and moves with the swollen end in advance.
A comparatively small number of large granules are found in the
swollen portion, while the smaller posterior end is quite hyaline.
Contractile vacuole absent, and a nucleus was not seen. Frequent in
decomposing vegetable matter. Length 37µ. Traverses a distance of
160µ in one minute.
The fresh-water form of _A. guttula_ has a vacuole, otherwise
Dujardin's description agrees perfectly with the Woods Hole forms.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.--_Amoeba guttala_.]
Amoeba? Fig. 2.
A more sluggish form than the preceding, distinguished by its larger
size, its dense granulation, and by short, rounded pseudopodia,
which, as in _Amoeba proteus_, may come from any part of the body.
A delicate layer of ectoplasm surrounds the granular endoplasm, and
pseudopodia formation is eruptive, beginning with the accumulation
of ectoplasm. Movement rapid, usually in one direction, but may be
backwards or sideways, etc. Contractile vacuole absent; the nucleus
is spherical and contains many large chromatin granules. Length 80µ;
diameter 56µ.
[Illustration: Fig. 2.--_Amoeba_ sp.]