On the variation and inheritance of some morphological characters inOphryoscolex purkynjei (Infusoria Oligotricha)

Summary

• 1. The branched spines ofO. purkynjei represent very complicated protoplasmic structures.

• 2. The number of branches in the spines ofO. purkynjei varies from 2–4 in different members of the same population and in different spines of the same individual.

• 3. Every population possesses a somewhat different character of branching, which circumstance proves the existence of several different strains or races in the species named.

• 4. Spine I possesses in the highest degree a tendency to form plus-variations, while spine III is characterized by its disposition to minus-variations. This character remains true for all the populations examined.

• 5. The examination of 50 individuals in the late stages of fission proves that the newly arising spines of anterior daughter-individuals may very often differ in the number of branches from the corresponding old spines of posterior daughter-individuals. This difference manifests itself in an increased, as well as in a decreased, number of branches in the new spines.