Taxonomic notes on some freshwater planktonic Cryptophyceae based on light microscopy

Abstract

The cryptomonads sampled frequently from pelagial of large freshwater bodies, lakes and ponds, but also found in littoral regions and in small water bodies covered with vegetation, are often characterized by the sigmoid (S-shaped) form of their cells. According to the quoted findings of electron microscopy it seems that these species should be incorporated into the new genus Campylomonas Hill. Because the EM characteristics have not been proved so far for all species, and the following nomenclatural combinations accomplished, the traditional classification into the genus Cryptomonas is kept here. The correct name for the largest of sigmoid cryptomonads isCryptomonas curvata Ehr. em. Penard. Contrarily, C. rostrata Troitz. em. Kisel. is to be held for later synonyms. The existence of the species C. rostratiformis Skuja remains uncertain. The smaller species of sigmoid shape, i.e. C. refiexa (Marss.) Skuja and C. marssonii Skuja, may also easily be discerned under the light microscope. From the small puddles with H₂S in water, shortened forms of both these species are documented, one of them under the published nameC. anas Javorn. The pelagic assemblage of the above sigmoid cryptomonads frequently is completed by Plagioselmis nannoplanctica (Skuja) Novar., Lucas et Morr. and by P. lacustris (Pasch. et Ruttn.) Javorn. These flagellates so far are currently determined as the species of the genus Rhodomonas Karsten. In addition to the EM characteristic, they differ from Rhodomonas by the absence of a true gullet (pseudopharynx) having only the ventral furrow with rows of superficial ejectosomes (similar to the genus Cryptochrysis Pascher). The ellipsoidal or ovoid cryptomonads are sampled more frequently from peat pools and small water bodies covered with vegetation than from open pelagial of lakes. An erroneous determination of them causes confusion. Because some strains are wrongly labeled, electron-microscopic characteristics are vaguely determined species. For example, some EM features of Cryptomonas ovata in fact belong to C. pyrenoidifera Geitl. or to C. phaseolus Skuja. Cryptomonas ovata Ehr. em. Stein is not a collective species with a wide dimensional range of ellipsoid cells. It is a large species the typical morphology which is described here in detail. C. splendida Czosn. differs from C. ovata only by the transversal orientation of the cell. Similar to C. ovata but smaller species is C. tatrica Czosn. These species are further compared with the well-defined species C. obovata Skuja and the particularly small C. phaseolus Skuja.