Summary
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1.
Both species ofAcanthoeca were found in the stagnant water of salt marshes.A. spectabilis was found in all water collections whereasA. brevipoda was only found on one occasion outside the type locality.
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2.
The loricae of both species are of costal construction; the posterior chamber is formed by a spiral arrangement of costal strips and the anterior chamber by a ring of spines.A. spectabilis possesses a stalk.
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3.
On cells ofA. spectabilis lacking a full complement of costal strips the lorica membrane was firm enough to act as a support for the protoplast.
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4.
The internal fine structure ofA. spectabilis is similar to that of other choanoflagellates. A ring of microtubules is associated with the flagellar base.
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5.
The electron opaque material forming costal strips is not uniform in structure. In most strips a central narrow channel and other small discontinuities are evident.
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6.
Solubility tests using 2% hydrofluoric acid on whole mounts and sections confirm that silica is a major component of costal strips. Experiments designed to investigate the presence of an organic component proved inconclusive.
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Leadbeater, B.S.C., Morton, C. A light and electron microscope study of the choanoflagellatesAcanthoeca spectabilis ellis andA. brevipoda ellis. Arch. Microbiol. 95, 279–292 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02451769
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02451769