Frontonia depressa

(Stokes, 1886) Kahl, 1931

Most likely ID: n.a.

 

Synonym: n.a.

 

Sampling location: Moss

 

Phylogenetic tree: Frontonia depressa

 

Diagnosis: 

  • body oval, moderately flattened
  • length 60–80 µm
  • oral apparatus in anterior third, right side
  • mouth opening ogival-shaped
  • three distinct rows of fibrils right from mouth opening
  • one contractile vacuole below cell equator
  • contractile vacuole with one excretion pore
  • macronucleus ellipsoid with slightly tapred ends
  • one micronuleus at end of macronucleus
  • fringe of extrusomes beneath pellicle
  • several elongated caudal cilia
  • habitat moss
Frontonia-depressa
Frontonia depressa

I found Frontona depressa in moss samples from trees in the years 2021, 2024 and 2025. This is the typical habitat of this ciliate, just as Kahl (1931) also described it. A typical characteristic, in addition to its small size and habitat, is the position of the contractile vacuole, which lies below the cell equator. It has only one excretory pore (s. fig. 7). At the posterior end there are some elongated cilia (s. fig. 6), which can also be clearly seen in free-swimming specimens (s. fig. 1 b). The preoral and postoral sutures (s. fig. 5) are only weakly developed in Frontonia depressa. I was only able to discern them faintly. According to my measurements, the spindle-shaped extrusomes are 4.2–4.9 µm long (s. fig. 8).

 

Most specimens in my populations were colorless and transparent, without food vacuoles. A few specimens had filled food vacuoles with spores of plants or fungi (s. fig. 1 a-d). Sometimes storage crystals could also be seen in the posterior third of the cell (s. fig. 6).

Frontonia-depressa

Fig. 1 a-d: Frontonia depressa. L = 67 µm. A freely swimming specimen from ventral. Obj. 60 X.

Frontonia-depressa

Fig. 2 a-d: Frontonia depressa. L = 71 µm. A second freely swimming specimen from ventral. Obj. 60 X.

Frontonia-depressa

Fig. 3 a-b: Frontonia depressa. Two focal planes of a slightly squashed specimen from ventral. Note the distinct rows of fibrils (RF) to the right of the oral apparatus (OA). The contractile vacuole (CV) is located below the cell equator. Ma = macronucleus, Mi = micronucleus. Obj. 100 X.

Frontonia-depressa

Fig. 4: Frontonia depressa. The oral apparatus in detail in a squashed specimen. Obj. 100 X.

Frontonia-depressa

Fig. 5: Frontonia depressa. Focal plane on the postoral suture (POS) in a slightly squashed specimen. The suture seems to extend only to the posterior third of the body. Obj. 100 X.

Frontonia-depressa

Fig. 6: Frontonia depressa. Focal plane on the macronucleus (Ma) and the micronucleus (Mi) in a squashes specimen. CC = caudal cilia, CV = contractile vacuole, EX = extrusomes. Obj. 100 X.

Frontonia-depressa

Fig. 7: Frontonia depressa. The single excretion pore (EP) of the contractile vacuole is located dorsal, observed from ventral. Obj. 100 X.

Frontonia-depressa

Fig. 8: Frontonia depressa. The extrusomes (EX) are spindle shaped with a length of 4.2–4.9 µm. Obj. 100 X.