Notes on african opalinids (Protozoa, Opalinata). I Zelleriella spp

Opalinidae in African Anura. II. Genera Protozelleriella n. g. and Zelleriella

“…Notes. Sandon (1980) could not see any morphological difference between this species and Z. cassinae Boisson, 1966, except perhaps the presence of bigger and more centrally placed nucleoli in Z. cassinae. However, he considered his species to be new because it was found in a different host and in a locality far away from where Boisson's species was collected.…”

“…Sandon's (1980) description: Larger and narrower than form B; nuclei with one to six "small, darkly staining granules lying freely in the interior of the nuclei"; described from "two young adults" of Strongylopus grayii (Ranidae) and one Tomopterna delalandii.…”

“…Sandon, 1938 Differs from form A in having broader and less regular outline and granular cytoplasm; as in form A, there is no clear demarcation between ectosac and endosac; nuclei 9.6-19.7x 10.6-22.2 ~m; kineties arranged obliquely as in form A; kinety interval 1.85-2.6 p~m; described from one tadpole of Rana fuscigula (Ranidae), presumably from vicinity of Cape Town (different site from form A). Sandon's (1980) description: Smaller and broader than form A and more variable in shape; nuclear material "pressed closely against the inside of the nuclear membrane" as small granules or as linear masses; described from tadpoles of Strongylopus grayii. Notes.…”

“…Notes. Sandon (1980) stated that he would have regarded the two forms as distinct species if they had come from different hosts or different localities. He also suggested that they could be different forms of one species, comparable to the February and December forms of Z. distichodi Sandon, 1980. Drawings of this species based on Sandon's slide BM 1983.9.15.1 are reproduced here in Fig.…”

“…31. Sandon, 1980 Broad, "very variable and swollen or variously distorted" with falx extending "over about half of the total circumference, curving symmetrically over the dorsal and ventral margins"; almost circular nuclei, 25-30 ~m in diameter, commonly with "two large but unequal band-like nucleolar masses lying parallel to the opposite sides of the nucleus and often pressed so closely against the membrane as to appear simply as thickenings of it. Sometimes these bands are less prominent and may be accompanied by one or more spherical masses"; kineties "converging towards the posterior end are almost straight... "; many kineties do not extend beyond level of nuclei; described from two Bufo angusticeps (Bufonidae), which occurs in the south-western part of the Cape Province (Passmore & Carruthers, 1979).…”