The Behavior and Fine Structure of the Dorsal Bristles of Euplotes minuta,E. aediculatus,and Stylonychia mytilus (Ciliata,Hypotrichida)1

ABSTRACT. Studies of the bristle (dorsal) cilia of Euplotes minuta. E. aediculatus, and Stylonychia mytilus by light and electron microscopy indicate that these cilia do not beat metachronously in any of the species. The bristle cilia in Stylonychia may beat actively, but those in Euplotes stand erect or are bent in different directions with the flow of water. The duration and degree of bending appear correlated with the duration and velocity of the water current. The fine structure of the bristle complex is similar in both Euplotes species and like other reports of Euplotes in the literature. The complex consists of paired kinetosomes, the anterior bearing a short cilium containing four to six rows of fibrous balls (lasiosomes) oriented along the anterior surface of the axoneme, the posterior lacking a cilium but with a small cap. Microtubular ribbons are associated with the paired kinetosomes, and a collar with a pronounced alveolar ring underneath the pellicular membrane tightly surrounds the cilium at the opening of the bristle pit. The bristle complex in S. mytilus differs from that of Euplotes and other hypotrichs in that it has a single kinetosome in interphase cells and, attached to the kinetosome, a prominent fibrous structure (parakinetosomal body). Microtubules are attached to the parakinetosomal body. As in Euplotes, the bristle unit is surrounded by mucocyst-like organelles (ampules). Observations of behavior and fine structure suggest that the dorsal bristles may be sensory, perhaps responding to stimuli from water currents, although other functions are possible, too.     

Cortical morphogenesis during the cell division cycle in Euplotes: An integrated study using light optical,scanning electron and transnlission electron microscopy

Hypotrichs are among the most complex ciliates in terms of morphology and development. To study the fine structure of cortical morphogenesis associated with cell division in Euplotes eurystomus, three different methods of observation were employed: light microscopy of protargol-stained specimens, scanning electron microscopy of cells prepared by critical point drying, and transmission electron microscopy of sectioned material. Observations on the stages of morphogenesis give much new information about cortical development, particularly about proliferation and aggregation of kinetosomes (basal bodies), ciliary outgrowth, the topography of morphogenesis, cirrus resorption, and growth of the pellicle. During the formation of new cirrus the process of kinetosome proliferation is atypical, i.e., groups of prokinetosomes are seen oriented at random and, in some cases, prokinetosomes apparently are formed at a distance from nearby young kinetosomes. That the new cirri develop in surface grooves, the grooves elongate into “tracks,” and (in some cases) grooves are partitioned into separate tracks suggests that the grooves play a role in the orderly migration of the new cirri on the cell surface. Conspicuous morphogcnctic changes in the cell surface involve local growth of the pellicle. The process of pellicle growth apparently involves two basic steps: (a) growth of the outer cell membrane to form “bare regions,” and (b) formation of alveoli in the bare regions. Alveolar sheets are formed by fusion of alveolus precursor particles. Cirrus resorption is sequential over several stages of development, and old cirri are resorbed as the new cirri impinge on them. As the old cirri regress, both in situ resorption and retraction of axonemes into the cytoplasm occur.     

近亲游仆虫Euplotes affinis Dujardin的毛基体水平的扫描电镜研究

应用生物化学去纤毛、去膜和扫描电镜观察相结合的方法,详细地观察了近亲游仆虫的皮层纤毛器毛基体和非纤电器的结构、模式,揭示和发现了其他游仆虫上尚未明了和未报道过的结构特征。     

The Structure and Development of the Dorsal Bristle Complex of Oxytricha fallax and Stylonychia pustulata*

SYNOPSIS. Oxytricha fallax and Stylonychia pustulata possess 6 rows of dorsal bristle units. Each dorsal bristle unit consists of a pair of kinetosomes; the anterior kinetosome has a cilium and the posterior kinetosome a ciliary stub. The kinetosome pair, located at the bottom of a cortical pit surrounding the cilium and ciliary stub, is surrounded by an asymmetrical fibrillar mass. Future rows 1-4 are formed from 2 sets of primordia originating within mature dorsal rows 1-3. Rows 5 and 6 originate from the anterior regions of both right marginal cirral primordia. Old dorsal bristle units utilized in formation of primordia are presumably maintained in the new rows of the proter and opisthe; those outside the primordia are resorbed. The morphogenetic pattern of the Oxytrichidae is similar to those of the Urostylidae and Holostichidae, but quite different from that of the Euplotidae.     

Fine Structure and Molecular Phylogeny of Parametopidium circumlabens (Ciliophora: Armophorea), Endocommensal of Sea Urchins

Metopid armophoreans are ciliates commonly found in anaerobic environments worldwide; however, very little is known of their fine structure. In this study, the metopid Parametopidium circumlabens (Biggar and Wenrich 1932) Aescht, 1980, a common endocommensal of sea urchins, is investigated for the first time with emphasis on transmission electron microscopy, revealing several previously unknown elements of its morphology. Somatic dikinetids of P. circumlabens have a typical ribbon of transverse microtubules, an isolated microtubule near triplets 4 and 5 of the anterior kinetosome, plus two other microtubules between anterior and posterior kinetosomes, a short kinetodesmal striated fiber and long postciliary microtubules. In the dikinetids of the perizonal stripe, the kinetodesmal fiber is very pronounced, and there is a conspicuous microfibrillar network system associated with the kinetosomes. A new structure, shaped as a dense, roughly cylindrical mass surrounded by microtubules, is found associated with the posterior kinetosome of perizonal dikinetids. The paroral membrane is diplostichomonad and the adoral membranelles are of the “paramembranelle” type. Bayesian inference and maximum‐likelihood analysis of the 18S‐rDNA gene unambiguously placed P. circumlabens as sister group of the cluster formed by ((Atopospira galeata, Atopospira violacea) Metopus laminarius) + Clevelandellida, corroborating its classification within the Metopida.     

The Fine Structure of the Mature Tomite of Hyalophysa chattoni

SYNOPSIS. The fine structure of the tomite stage of Hyalophysa chattoni was examined with particular attention to its kinetal apparatus. The pellicle, thick and dense compared with that of other ciliates, is formed of three layers. The inner layer is composed of short fibrils oriented perpendicular to the surface. The cytoplasm around the oral passage and beneath falciform field 8 is crowded with dense inclusion bodies of unknown function. Dorsal to the oral passage is the rosette, a disc-shaped organelle subdivided by septa in the form of incomplete radii about a central chamber containing a tuft of cilia. The septa are composed of 3 membranes enclosing a fine layer of cytoplasm. At their inner ends 20 mμ fibers run dorsally and ventrally. Dense clumps of fibrous material line the luminal surface of the septa. Rows of fusiform trichocysts parallel the kineties. The trichocysts are composed of a finely periodic, moderately electron-dense material surrounded by 20 mμ fibrils oriented along the long axis of the trichocyst. Between and below the kinetosomes and the rows of trichocysts are electron-dense vesicles 300 mμ in diameter and bounded by a loose membrane. The large “trichocysts,” the “gros trichocystes” of Chatton and Lwoff, whose appearance heralds the beginnings of trichocystogenesis, prove to be canaliculi opening to the surface. Four separate ciliary membrane systems—the oral ciliature (XYZ), falciform field 8, falciform field 9, and the ogival field—are located on the ventral surface of the tomite. Each differs from the others and from the somatic kineties in the fibrillar organization around its kinetosomes. In the somatic kineties the kinetodesmos is a dense, periodic fiber which is formed of stacks of up to 18 subfibers, each arising from the base of a kinetosome. The kinetosomes are short (300 mμ) and contain dense central granules. In some kineties, alternating between the kinetosomes, are elliptical kinetosome-like structures which do not bear cilia and perhaps provide a reservoir of kinetosomes for future growth of the kinety.     

Etude Ultrastructurale du CiliéKuklikophrya dragescoi gen. n., sp. n.*

SYNOPSIS The cortical infraciliature of Kuklikophrya dragescoi gen. n., sp. n. is composed of double kinetosomes. Each kinetosome has transverse fibers. The anterior transverse fibers are associated with a sheet of dense material and the posterior transverse fibers are directed toward the posterior part of the body. The posterior kinetosome of a pair has only a short protuberance in the position of the kinetosomal fiber. The cortex has a well developed alveolar layer and a thick ecto-endoplasmic boundary. A distinctive characteristic of the buccal ciliature is the circumoral ciliature whose infraciliature is made up of pairs of cilia-bearing kinetosomes. The antero-posterior polarity of the paroral segment is in inverse relationship to that of the remaining ciliature of the organism. The adoral and preoral ciliary organelles consist of 2 rows of kinetosomes, each of which bears postciliary fibers. A frame of nematodesmata surrounds the cytopharynx which is supported by microtubular bands which impart to it a very specific laminated appearance. The “phagoplasm” is formed by “vermicelli”-like vesicles. The micronucleus is found in the perinuclear area of the macronucleus.     

THE FINE STRUCTURE OF CORTICAL COMPONENTS OF PARAMECIUM MULTIMICRONUCLEATUM

The electron microscope was used to study the structure and three dimensional relationships of the components of the body cortex in thin sections of Paramecium multimicronucleatum. Micrographs of sections show that the cortex is covered externally by two closely apposed membranes (together ~250 A thick) constituting the pellicle. Beneath the pellicle the surface of the animal is molded into ridges that form a polygonal ridgework with depressed centers. It is these ridges that give the surface of the organism its characteristic configuration and correspond to the outer fibrillar system of the light microscope image. The outer ends of the trichocysts with their hood-shaped caps are located in the centers of the anterior and posterior ridges of each polygon. The cilia extend singly from the depressed centers of the surface polygons. Each cilium shows two axial filaments with 9 peripheral and parallel filaments embedded in a matrix and the whole surrouned by a thin ciliary membrane. The 9 peripheral filaments are double and these are evenly spaced in a circle around the central pair. The ciliary membrane is continuous with the outer member of the pellicular membrane, whereas the plasma membrane is continuous with the inner member of the pellicular membrane. At the level of the plasma membrane the proximal end of the cilium is continuous with its tube-shaped basal body or kinetosome. The peripheral filaments of the cilium, together with the material of cortical matrix which tends to condense around them, form the sheath of the basal body. The kinetodesma connecting the ciliary kinetosomes (inner fibrillar system of the light microscopist) is composed of a number of discrete fibrils which overlap in a shingle-like fashion. Each striated kinetosomal fibril originates from a ciliary kinetosome and runs parallel to other kinetosomal fibrils arising from posterior kinetosomes of a particular meridional array. Sections at the level of the ciliary kinetosomes reveal an additional fiber system, the infraciliary lattice system, which is separate and distinct from the kinetodesmal system. This system consists of a fibrous network of irregular polygons and runs roughly parallel to the surface of the animal. Mitochondria have a fine structure similar in general features to that described for a number of mammalian cell types, but different in certain details. The structures corresponding to cristae mitochondriales appear as finger-like projections or microvilli extending into the matrix of the organelle from the inner membrane of the paired mitochondrial membrane. The cortical cytoplasm contains also a particulate component and a system of vesicles respectively comparable to the nucleoprotein particles and to the endoplasmic reticulum described in various metazoan cell types. An accessory kinetosome has been observed in oblique sections of a number of non-dividing specimens slightly removed from the ciliary kinetosome and on the same meridional line as the cilia and trichocysts. Its position corresponds to the location of the kinetosome of the newly formed cilium in animals selected as being in the approaching fission stage of the life cycle.     

The Resorption of Cilia in Cyathodinium piriforme*

SYNOPSIS. The fine structure of the cilium, kinetosome, kinetodesmal fiber, and basal microtubules has been described in Cyathodinium piriforme. The ciliary axoneme is encased in an electron-dense jacket termed the axonemal jacket. This jacket surrounds the axoneme and is found midway between the axoneme and the ciliary membrane when viewed in cross section. Before division or reorganization the cilia are withdrawn into the cell. Intact cilia surrounded by their jackets are found in the cytoplasm during the early phases of retraction. Degradation of the axonemal microtubules precedes the dissolution of the axonemal jacket. Profiles of the jackets are observed after the microtubules have been resorbed. The cilia appear to detach from the kinetosomes. Barren kinetosomes are seen below the cell surface frequently with kinetodesmal fibers still attached. Whether all or some of these barren kinetosomes contribute to the formation of the new ciliary anlage cannot be ascertained.     

Ultrastructural aspects of the somatic and buccal infraciliature ofColeps amphacanthus Ehrenberg 1833

Summary Somatic and buccal infraciliature ofColeps amphacanthus Ehrenberg 1833 were studied by light and electron microscopy. The somatic kineties are composed of monokinetids and 2 dikinetids at the anterior end of each kinety. The monokinetids are associated with postciliary microtubules at triplet 9, a kinetodesmal fiber at triplet 5 and 7 and nearly radially arranged transverse microtubules at triplet 4. The associated fibrillar systems of the posterior kinetosome of the dikinetids are like those of the monokinetids. The anterior kinetosome is associated with transverse microtubules at triplet 4 and one or few postciliary microtubules at triplet 9. The anterior kinetosome bears only a short cilium.The oral ciliature is composed of a kinety of nearly circumorally arranged paroral dikinetids and 3 adoral organelles at the ventral left side of the oral opening. Nematodesmata arising from the oral ciliature form the major component of the cytopharyngeal apparatus which is lined by microtubular ribbons of postciliary origin. The buccal cavity is surrounded by oral papillae which often contain toxicysts.     

The fine structure of the paralabial organelle in the rumen ciliate Ophryoscolex purkinjei Stein, 1858

The paralabial organelle of the rumen ciliate Ophryoscolex purkinjei, located on the ventral side of the ciliophor, is a highly specialized part of the somatic cortex. It consists of alternating rows of short modified cilia and thin pellicular folds which form a ridge-like structure. The central "top kinety" is composed of monokinetids which bear cilia with 9 + 2 axonemes and 2 microns in length. The top kinety is accompanied by a comb-shaped fold on its distal side and by a broad wedge-shaped fold on its proximal side. To both sides there follow two or three lateral kineties made of dikinetids. The anterior kinetosome of each pair bears a clavate cilium, only 0.5-0.7 micron in length and with a 9 + 0 axoneme while the cilium of the posterior kinetosome is even shorter. Lateral folds with numerous microtubules cover these lateral kineties and rows of barren basal bodies. The fine structure of this supposed sensory organelle show a basic pattern in four other ophryoscolecids, and its increasing complexity parallels the suggested phylogenetic line of evolution of these ciliates.     

Ultrastructure of the cytoplasm of the lower holotrichous infusorian Tracheloraphis prenanti]

The ciliature of T. prenanti Dragesco 1960 (forma oligocineta Raikov et Kovaleva, 1968) consists of 14-18 ventral and lateral longitudinal kineties with paired kinetosomes, carrying either two cilia or one cilium per kinetosome pair (in the latter case, the nonciliated kinetosome is always the posterior one). The ectoplasmic fibrillar system belongs to the postciliary type. A pair of kinetosomes shares a common basal plate. The anterior kinetosome gives rise to a short ribbon of transverse microtubules, the posterior one, to a poorly developed kinetodesmal filament and to a strong ribbon of postciliary microtubules. The latter proceeds backwards along 8 to 12 kinetosome pairs, being incorporated into a laminated postciliodesma which accompanies each kinety on its right side. Rows of Golgi elements, sending secretory vesicles and channels towards the body surface, exist beneath the kinetosome bases. Each kinety is accompanied on its left by a microfibrillar myoneme, surrounded by perimyary vesicles and underlain by a row of mitochondria. The median part of the dorsal surface is nonciliated; the cytoplasm here is rich of membrane systems, contains peripheral, electron-dense, extrusible inclusions and sometimes also bacteria. The electron-dense inclusions develop in the endoplasm, in close contact with mitochondria. The endoplasm contains also large microfibrillar spheres of unknown nature.     

The Fine Structure of the Paralabial Organelle in the Rumen Ciliate Ophryoscolex purkinjei Stein, 1858

The paralabial organelle of the rumen ciliate Ophryoscolex purkinjei , located on the ventral side of the ciliophor, is a highly specialized part of the somatic cortex. It consists of alternating rows of short modified cilia and thin pellicular folds which form a ridge-like structure. The central "top kinety" is composed of monokinetids which bear cilia with 9 + 2 axonemes and 2 μm in length. The top kinety is accompanied by a comb-shaped fold on its distal side and by a broad wedge-shaped fold on its proximal side. To both sides there follow two or three lateral kineties made of dikinetids. The anterior kinetosome of each pair bears a clavate cilium, only 0.5–0.7 μm in length and with a 9 + 0 axoneme while the cilium of the posterior kinetosome is even shorter. Lateral folds with numerous microtubules cover these lateral kineties and rows of barren basal bodies. The fine structure of this supposed sensory organelle show a basic pattern in four other ophryoscolecids, and its increasing complexity parallels the suggested phylogenetic line of evolution of these ciliates.     

THE AMEBA-TO-FLAGELLATE TRANSFORMATION IN TETRAMITUS ROSTRATUS : II. Microtubular Morphogenesis

Tetramitus exhibits independent ameboid and flagellate stages of remarkable morphological dichotomy. Transformation of the ameba involves the formation of four kinetosomes and their flagella. The arrangement of these kinetosomes and associated whorls of microtubules extending under the pellicle establishes the asymmetric flagellate form. While no recognizable kinetosomal precursors have been seen in amebae, and there is no suggestion of self-replication in dividing flagellates, developmental stages of kinetosomes have been identified. These are occasionally seen in association with the nucleus or with dense bodies which lie either inside of or close to the proximal end of the prokinetosome. Outgrowth of flagella involves formation of an axoneme and a membrane. From the distal tip of the kinetosome microtubules grow into a short bud, which soon forms an expanded balloon containing a reticulum of finely beaded filaments. The free ends of the microtubules appear unraveled; they are seen first as single elements, then as doublets, and finally are arranged into a cylinder. Growth in length is accompanied by a reduction in the diameter of the balloon. The concept that the formation of the kinetic apparatus might involve a nuclear contribution, followed by a spontaneous assembly of microtubules, is suggested.     

Ciliate Ultrastructure: Some Problems in Cell Biology*

SYNOPSIS. Protozoology, along with other cell sciences, has profited immeasurably during the last 25 years from the application of electron microscopy and other new technics to studies of cell structure and function. Protozoa were among the first objects examined with the electron microscope in the 1940's and an extensive literature in protozoan ultrastructure has accumulated since then. Some examples of recent investigations of ciliate cortical ultrastructure are selected to illustrate the importance of protozoan studies to the development of fundamental concepts of cell biology. Ciliates are choice subjects for analysis of ciliary structure and motility and of myoneme contractility. Membrane-limited alveoli contribute to the structure of the characteristic ciliate pellicle and provide evidence of how multiple pellicular membranes may affect cell-surface activities. The striated fibrils and microtubules associated with ciliate kinetosomes resemble those of other cell types but are more highly organized; wherever they occur, these structures appear to be related to the development and maintenance of polarity and asymmetry of cells and organelles. Their stability and the precision of their arrangement in ciliates make them peculiarly suitable for the study of the properties and behavior of such fibrous organelles and also for investigation of the morphogenetic role of the kinetosome.     

AN ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDY OF CORTICAL STRUCTURES OF OPALINA OBTRIGONOIDEA

The pellicular framework of Opalina obtrigonoidea consists of numerous longitudinal ribs parallel to the kineties. These ribs lie erect on the cell surface, and each is composed of striated longitudinal fibers. A membrane covers the ribs and the ectoplasm between them. Flagella, of conventional structure, emerge from the ectoplasm between the ribs. The two central fibers of each flagellum end at the cell surface; the nine peripheral fibers continue for about 400 mµ into the cell to form an open tubular kinetosome. From the anterolateral curvature of each kinetosome arise two rows of fibrils, each fibril oriented perpendicular to the cell surface and about 150 A in diameter. The two rows converge anteriorly and probably meet the next adjacent kinetosome. Minute granules or tubules, arranged in oblique rows and at least sometimes accompanied by very fine fibers, lie at the surface of the ectoplasm but show no detectable connection with the kinetosomes. The whole flagellar apparatus of Opalina thus bears a general resemblance to the infraciliature of some holotrich ciliates, but the degree of evolutionary relationship between them remains uncertain.     

Ultrastructure of Prorodon (Ciliophora, Prostomatida) Ii. Oral Cortex and Phylogenetic Conclusions

ABSTRACT. The ultrastructure of the oral region and the ultrastructural architecture of the basket of Prorodon aklitolophon and Prorodon teres are described. the oral region of Prorodon consists of: 1) A circumoral kinety at the anterior pole of the cell surrounding the typically slit-shaped cytostomial funnel. This kinety is composed of inversely oriented dikinetids in which both kinetosomes are ciliated and are associated with a very short postciliary microtubular ribbon and a few transverse microtubules; 2) Three brush rows aligned in parallel and extended meridionally in the anterior part of the cell. the individual brush rows consist of dikinetids, but in contrast to the dikinetids around the cytopharynx they are not inverted and only the anterior kinetosomes bear specialized short brush cilia and are associated with a divergent-tangential transverse microtubular ribbon. the posterior kinetosome is non-ciliated and bears a prominent convergent postciliary microtubular ribbon. Schematized dikinetid patterns of both oral regions of Prorodon are provided. In addition, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the basket of the genus Prorodon based on serial thin sections is presented. A phylogenetic tree, mainly based on stomatogenic data, is given to show the phylogenetic relationships of some prostomatid genera as well as the hypothesized sistergroup relationship of colpodid and prostomatid ciliates.     

Cortical ultrastructure of Coleps bicuspis Noland, 1925 and the phylogeny of the class Prostomatea (Ciliophora)

The ultrastructure of Coleps bicuspis Noland, 1925 is described. The ciliate is a typical prostomate: the somatic kinetid is a monokinetid with a postciliary ribbon at triple 9, a kinetodesmal fibril originating near triplets 5, 6, 7 and an apparently radial transverse ribbon at triplet 4. The oral area is circular and has three brosse kineties associated with it. The brosse kineties are composed of dikinetids whose anterior kinetosome bears a tangential transverse ribbon and whose posterior kinetosome bears the fibrillar associates typical of a somatic monokinetid. The oral dikinetids are oriented parallel to the circumference of the oral cavity, which is surrounded by oral papillae and oral ridges. Pairs of nematodesmata, originating from oral dikinetid kinetosomes, are typically triangular in transection. A phylogeny of rhabdophoran ciliates is presented using the mixed parsimony algorithm and is discussed with reference to the systematic revisions of the phylum Ciliophora.     

A Reexamination of the Ultrastructure of Didinium nasutum and a Reanalysis of the Phylogeny of the Haptorid Ciliates

ABSTRACT. The cilia of Didinium nasutum are restricted to two girdles encircling the cell. Each row of cilia in both girdles is made up of two to three anterior pairs of kinetosomes followed by several single kinetosomes. Each single kinetosome has two sets of transverse microtubules, an overlapping postciliary microtubular ribbon, and a laterally directed kinetodesmal fiber. The pairs of kinetosomes are homologous to the oral dikinetids of other haptorians: the nonciliated kinetosome of the pair has a transverse microtubular ribbon that extends to line the membrane of the proboscis, a single short postciliary microtubule, and a nematodesma; the ciliated kinetosome has a ribbon of postciliary microtubules and two sets of transverse microtubules. The presence of these characters in Didinium invalidates Leipe & Hausmann's conclusion that the Didiniidae should be removed from the subclass that contains the other haptorians (Leipe, D. D. & Hausumann, K. 1989. Somatic infraciliature of the haptorid ciliate Homalozoon vermiculare (Kinetofragminophora, Gymnostomata) Ditransversalia n. subcl. and phylogenetic implications. J. Protozool. , 36 :280–289). In light of this, the justification for a subclass Ditransversalia is challenged and shown to be unnecessary.     

The Cytology of Sheep Rumen Ciliates. III. Ultrastructure of the Genus Entodinium (Stein)1

This study examines previously undescribed general and cytopharyngeal features of the genus Entodinium. The cytopharynx contains three types of microtubular ribbons underlying the cytostomal membrane as well as a loose palisade of nematodesmata. A protoesophagus composed of microtubular bundles associated with a fibrous wall lies internally to one side of an extrusible peristome on which the adoral zone of syncilia (AZS) is mounted. Macronuclear structures are very similar to those of other ophryoscolecids. The micronucleus has chromatin bodies forming a compact mass but lacks the thick wall found in other species. A tubular spongiome surrounds the contractile vacuole and the cytoproct is relatively undifferentiated. Cortical structure follows the usual five-layered ophryoscolecid pattern with subcortical barren kinetosomes arranged into indistinct kineties. The infraciliature of the AZS has kinetosomes set upon a subkinetal rod and with associated bifurcated kinetodesmata and transverse microtubules, some of which extend into the cytopharynx. Components newly described for Entodinium are the one to three postciliary microtubules and the interkinetosomal centro-lateral strand, all of which are present in other species of ophryoscolecid ciliates. The infraciliature of the paralabial ciliary tuft shows similar components to that of the main AZS, but lacks the subkinetal rod. The microtubular components of the cytopharynx are discussed in relation to the “alimentary” structures in other ophryoscolecids, and a relationship of these structures to dietary differences is suggested.