Salpingoeca ampullacea Stein, 1878
Most likely ID: n.a.
Synonym: n.a.
Sampling location: Simmelried
Phylogenetic tree: Salpingoeca ampullacea
Diagnosis:
- lorica globular, opening distinctly widened
- solid stalk of lorica very short or absent
- length 8–11 µm (of lorica)
- cell fills globular part of lorica completely
- one single flagellum, 3–4 times of cell length
- one nucleus in anterior third with spherical nucleolus
- one contractile vacuole in posterior third or mid-body
So far I have only been able to find Salpingoeca ampullacea in the Simmelried. However, I may have overlooked the species in my other localities, as it is only possible to see at high magnification whether the shell has a stalk and what it looks like.
The lorica of Salpingoeca ampullacea is almost spherical, with a straight, cylindrical neck that widens at the distal end. The shell has no or only a very short, solid stalk with which it is attached to the substrate (usually algal filaments). The similar species Salpingoeca clarkii has a solid, long stalk and a vase-shaped lorica.
In 1983, a species of Salpingoeca newly described by D. de C. Bicudo & C. E. de M. Bicudo was also named Salpingoeca ampullacea. However, this name was first given by Stein (1878). The authors therefore withdrew the name in 1984 and renamed their newly discovered species Salpingoeca ampulloides. Unfortunately, this change has not been implemented in many databases on the internet.
Fig. 1: Salpingoeca ampullacea. L = 9.3–9.5 µm (of lorica). Two specimens attached to a filamentous alga. Note the nucleus (Nu) with a central nucleolus. The cell fills the globular part of the lorica completely. Obj. 100 X.
Fig. 2: Salpingoeca ampullacea. L = 9.1–10.1 µm (of lorica). A group of several specimens attached to a filamentous alga. CV = = contractile vacuole. Obj. 100 X.
Fig. 3: Salpingoeca ampullacea. L = 10.9 µm (of lorica). An empty lorica. Note the short, solid stalk (ST). Obj. 100 X.