UNCLASSIFIED PROTISTS OF ARTHROPODS - THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF NEPHRIDIOPHAGA-PERIPLANETAE (LUTZ AND SPLENDORE, 1903) N-COMB, AND THE AFFINITIES OF THE NEPHRIDIOPHAGIDAE TO OTHER PROTISTS
Ce. Lange, UNCLASSIFIED PROTISTS OF ARTHROPODS - THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF NEPHRIDIOPHAGA-PERIPLANETAE (LUTZ AND SPLENDORE, 1903) N-COMB, AND THE AFFINITIES OF THE NEPHRIDIOPHAGIDAE TO OTHER PROTISTS, The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology, 40(6), 1993, pp. 689-700
Observations by electron microscopy were conducted on Coelosporidium p
eriplanetae (Lutz and Splendore, 1903) Swarczewsky, 1914, an extracell
ular sporogenic protist in the lumen of the Malpighian tubules of Blat
ta orientalis Linn., 1758 and other domiciliary cockroaches. Results g
enerally agreed with earlier studies by light microscopy but also allo
wed a more complete characterization of the species. Some outstanding
features of the protist were: amoeboid multinucleate stages (plasmodia
) capable of producing cytoplasmic projections for attachment to micro
villi of tubules, endogenous formation of spores, differentiation of '
'generative'' and ''somatic'' nuclei in plasmodia undergoing spore for
mation, polarized early sporoblasts (a nucleus on one half and a chond
riome on the other), and biconcave, ovoid, non-polarized spores that a
re retained until maturation by the plasmalemma and residual cytoplasm
of the original plasmodium. The new combination Nephridiophaga peripl
anetae is proposed based on this new, updated information. The family
name Nephridiophagidae Sprague, 1970 is resurrected to include N. peri
planetae and eleven other species of protists in the Malpighian tubule
s of arthropods, mostly insects in the orders Dictyoptera and Coleopte
ra. According to its characteristics, the family Nephridiophagidae can
not be included into any of the currently recognized phyla of protists
. It is suggested that it should be temporarily treated as an incertae
sedis group of Protista.