“Description of Deviata rositae n. sp. (Table 1 and Fig. 1–7). The body size in vivo is 112–154 µm in length and 21–
28 µm in width. It is vermiform in shape and round in cross-section, but the anterior end is slightly dorso-ventrally flattened. It is
very flexible among soil particles. The cytoplasm is colorless, with 6–8 µm refractile granules that give it a grayish to blackish
aspect at low magnification (<40X). Cortical granules are absent. The contractile vacuole is located in the mid-body on the left
margin of the cell; it lacks collecting canals and empties dorsally. Some individuals possessed a defecation vacuole at the posterior end of the body. The food vacuoles contained 12–18 µm refractile structures, possibly wheat starch, and the ciliates also fed on bacteria (Fig. 1). The macronucleus is moniliform, with 7–14 spherical, ellipsoidal, or fusiform nodules. There are 1 to 3 ellipsoidal micronuclei and usually one of them is located near the first macronuclear nodule and the others are near the posterior nodules (Fig. 1–3, 6).
The oral apparatus is formed by 14–18 adoral membranelles of four rows of basal bodies each, and straight paroral and
endoral membranes that never intersect each other. The paroral extends beyond the distal end of the endoral but it is proximally
shorter. Both structures are composed of paired basal bodies. The oral zone represents 21% of the total length of the body (average of 20 impregnated cells) and cytopharyngeal fibers extend posteriorly from the cytostome to the right margin of the cell
(Fig. 2, 4).
There are five cirri in the buccal field: three anterior-most frontal cirri, a fourth isolated frontal cirrus behind the right-most frontal one, and one buccal cirrus in front of the distal end of the endoral membrane. There are six slightly spiraled long rows of cirri that end posteriorly of the adoral zone of membranelles. Three of them are located on the left of the adoral zone of membranelles (cirral rows 1–3), and the other three are located on the right of it (cirral rows 4–6) (Fig. 2, 3). Cirral rows 1 and 2 abut the adoral zone of membranelles on the left and extend to the posterior end on the dorsal surface of the body. Cirral row 3 extends from the post-peristomial region to the posterior end, with its distal segment sometimes on the dorsal surface. Cirral row 4 begins on the right just beneath the fourth frontal cirrus and extends up to the equator or sub-equator of the body (Fig. 2, 4). Cirral row 5 begins near the distal adoral membranelles and extends to the posterior end on the ventral surface. Cirral row 6 begins dorsally and also extends to the posterior end on the ventral surface. Anterior frontal cirri are formed by nine basal bodies each, while the frontal cirrus behind the right-most anterior frontal cirrus and the buccal cirrus possess six basal bodies each. The anterior-most cirri of rows 1–3 and 6 are composed of four basal bodies each, while the following cirri behind them have only two basal bodies. The anterior-most cirri of rows 4 and 5 are composed of six basal bodies, while some cirri behind them have four, and the following cirri behind the latter have only two basal bodies. Usually there is one pair (occasionally there are two pairs) of non-ciliated basal bodies, or even three very close basal bodies between cirral rows 3 and 4 (Fig. 2, 4, 5). Dorsally, there are two rows of bristles. The left-most row of bristles (dorsal kinety 1) extends from the anterior to the posterior end of the body and its posterior-most two dikinetids are slightly separated from the rest of the kinety, while the rightmost row (dorsal kinety 2) is composed of only two dikinetids and is located at the anterior end of the body (Fig. 3, 7). Retained parental rows of cirri are absent, as well as transverse and caudal cirri.
The swimming behavior is in spirals, although they were observed motionless in the bottom of the Petri dish feeding on wheat starch and bacteria from the culture medium.
Occurrence. Deviata rositae n. sp. was isolated from dried soil samples collected in January 2005 and rewetted in January–February 2007. The species was found in row cultures of soil material together with another unidentified species of Deviata. This indicates that it developed from resting cysts, although these cysts were not observed.”
(Kuppers et al., 2007)
