ON SOME FRESH WATER CILIOPHORA ( PROTOZOA ) OF VISAKHAPATNAM

While studying the ciliate fauna of Visakhapatnam we have observed some relatively rare species of ciliates. This paper deals with the morphological details of Telotrochiilium crateriforme Kent, 1880-1882; Spirostomum ambiguum (0. ·F. Miiller) Ehrenberg, 1883; Spirostomum tere8 Claparede and Lachmann 1858; Brachonella spiralis (Smith, 1897) ; Stentor coeruleus Ehrenberg, 1830 andf Halteria grandinella O. F. Muller, 1786. T. crateriJorme is new report for the Indian sub-continent. B. spiralis and S. coeruleus are new reports from the South India.

The two extremities are Micronucleus lies close longitudinal fission.curved to the Records of tl~e Zoological Survey o/India to give it a horse-shoe appearance.macronucleus.Multiplication is by Kent (1880Kent ( -1882) ) placed Urocentrum and Telotrochidium in the order Peritricha, but subsequent lVorker s have shown that their correct posi-Text-fig. 1. live animal.
Halteria g1'andinella-4.Brachonella s:piralis tion is under Hymenostomata.Corliss (1961Corliss ( , 1977) ) placed this species in Peritricha.Kahl (1930Kahl ( -1935) ) is however, of the opinion that species of Telolrochidium are vorticellids detached from their stalks.Gulati's (1925) and the present observations seem" to show that the Telotrochidium is a valid genus.Bhatia (1936)  the position of the genus is close to Urocentrum and according to him vorticellids may be supposed to have been derived from such Holotrichian forms as Urocentrum and Telotrochidium.Corliss (1977) placed Urocentrum in the order Hymanostomatida of Hymenostomata and Telotrochidium in Peritrichida of Peritricha.
Present observations confirm the opinion of Corliss (1977) in placing Telotrochidium in Peritricha because in characters like shape of the body, shape of the nucleus, ciliary arrangements, single contractile vacuole it is closely related to Peritricha.
Dimensions: Body length ranges from 85 to 97 p,m and width ranges from 62 to 67, l m.This ciliate is elongate, thread like and slim, somewhat flattened laterally.Highly elastic, contractile and flexible.Ten to twenty times or more as long as broad, cy lindrical, the anterior and posterior extremities often equal rounded in some forms.Posterior truncate condition has also been observed.Peristome is long extending down the left side of the ventral surface beyond the Iniddle of body, continues as a short cytopharynx.AZM begins at the anterior end of the animal and runs along its length.Contractile vacuole is conspicuous, it lies in the posterior part of the body and is fed by a long canal stretching dorsally from anterior end.Macronucleus is elongated and moniliform.Numerous micronuclei are seen close to the macronuclear beads.
The form and structure of the macronucleus vary in different forms.In most cases the macronucleus beads are elongated, oval, tapering at either end, they are connected by narrow commissures.In some cases the macronucleus is vermiform.There is no correspondence between the number of micronuclei aQd the lobes of macronucleus.
In S. ambiguum, the two varieties were noted by Bishop (1923), s. ambiguum major is 800 to 900 !lm long, posterior end rounded, yellowish cytoplasm.Cytostome behind the mid-point.S. ambiguum minor is 400 to 500 Itm long and truncated posteriorly, greyish-white cytoplasm, with its cytostome in the anterior third of the body.Bhatia and Mullick (1930) concluded that S. teres and the minor and major varieties of S. ambiguum form a series, the structural peculiarities of which are closely paralleled by the stages of growth of the individual specimens of S. ambiguum.The specimens found here measured 545 to 860 pm ,in length so that it could be concluded that they are S. ambiguum var.major.This species is cosmopolitan in distribution.
Spirostomum teres Claparede and Lachmann, 1858-1861 ( Text-fig.7) Body is elongated, shape is similar to that of S. ambiguum but comparatively small.Colour yellowish or slightly brown, peristome extending up to one third of the length of the body.Posterior "end may or may not be truncated.Contractile vacuole is single occupying most of the posterior end of the body and extending forward as a long canal.Oval macronucleus is situated at the middle of the body.
Bhatia (1936) reported that in the specimens found at Srinagar (India) the peristomial groove extends only up to about one third of the length of the body.But in the present study in some specimens the peristomial groove extends beyond one third of the body, in some cases up 'to the middle of the body.

Family; METOPIDAE Kahl
Genus : Brachonella Jankowski, 1964  Brachonella spiralis (Smith, 1897) Body roughly oval in shape.Posterio~, portion ends in a blunt cone.Except in the anterior left portion, the body is transparent.A few refractile granules are aggregated at the anterior left portion of the animal.The peristome is a spiral depression running diagonally trom anterior half to the posterior right side thus the body presents a spiral shape.The portion near and just above the peristome is densely ciliated with long cilia, and in other parts of the body the ciliation is uniform.Body is striated in a linear form.
Macronucleus is spherical and single situated in the anterior half of the body above the peristome.Single rounded conspicuous contra-ctUe vacuole is present at the posterior end.Micronucleus is small and lies closely apposed to the macronucleus.
The description of the present species agrees with the description and illustrations given by Kahl (1930Kahl ( -1935)), except for the few differences in dimentions.The length reported by Kahl is 80 to 150/-lm.
Dimensions: Body length ranges from 60 to 75 11m and width ranges from 38 to 49 ttm.Body is cerulean blue in colour, cone or trumpet shaped in fully extended condition and capable of extension or of contraction into a sphere.The surface is covered by alternating longitudinal stripes of two kinds-bands of granules, often coloured and between these clear stripes \vhich bear the rows of the body cilia.A thin pellicle forms the outer most surface of the cell.S. coeruleus anchors to the substratum by a temporary holdfast organell occurring at the posterior end.Peristomial disk slightly convex with membranellae at its margin.Frontal field is covered with alternating clear and granular stripes.Macronucleus moniliform and consists of many nodes lying within a com,mon nuclear membrane.Micronuclei are many situated close to the macro nuclear nodes.Contractile vacuole lies anteriorly and has a collecting canal.
The description given here agrees with the details and illustrations given by Tartar (1961).The specimen found here are longer than the previously.reported forms.Tartar (1961) reported that the longest Stentor was 350!-lm in le~gth.S. coe1•uleus is the largest of all stentors.They are coloured bright in the fully distended ciliate.The number of macronuclear nodes varies from 9 to 11. Mahajan (1971)   A small membrane is present on the right edge of the peristome.On the lateral body surface 7 groups of long tactile cilia or bristles are present each with three long bristles.There are over 20 par-oral metnbranelles.The macronucleus is oval, with a small micronucleus.Contractile vacuole lies to the left of the buccal cavity.Locomotion is of two types, slow rotatory movements and swift darts.Tamar (1974) reported that the oral membranelles are each longitudinally divided in the midline.The oral membranelles are longest anteriorly, towards the exterior opening of the buccal cavity.Our specimens show a oval macronucleus situated at the centre.But Tamar (1974) reported that the interphase macronucleus consists of two subglobose portions separated by a constriction.The present specimens are longer than those described bY' Dingfelder (1962), Mahajan and Nair (1971), Bick (197~) and Tamer (1974).

SUMMARY
In the present paper six fresh water ciliates belonging to five families and five genera are described in detail.Details of the infraciliature of the ciliates have been touched.Telotrochidium carteriforme is the first record for the Indian sub-continent.
reported only 7 macronuclear beads.Length of fully extended animal is 340 to 370 Itm.