Abstract

SYNOPSIS. The oral apparatus of the gymnostome ciliate Chlamydodon pedarius is composed of a membranous system, a pharyngeal basket and pharyngeal tube. The membranous system outlines the cytostome; its outer part is connected with the pellicular and sub‐pellicular membranes, forming a circular groove along the outer margin of the cytostome; its inner part bends and extends to the cytopharynx, forming an oral cavity. The membranous system consists of a membrane combining the pellicular and sub‐pellicular membranes and just beneath it is a layer of randomly intertwining filaments about 20 mμ in diameter. The pharyngeal basket is composed of triangular trichites and long ones. They are normally 11 to 13 in number. The triangular trichites are connected with the long ones by fibers. Each of the triangular trichites has a quasi‐conical form, about 1.5 μ in width at its basal portion and about 2.5 μ in height, and is made up of an outer dense sheath and a central less dense part. Each of the long trichites is whip‐shaped and extends into the endoplasm for about 35 μ. They surround the pharyngeal tube, and their posterior ends are gathered into a triangular or a circular form by means of a fiber. Each of the long trichites consists of a bundle of about 700 filaments arranged in an almost hexagonal pattern. Each filament is about 20 mμ in diameter and seems to be linked with others by six fine fibrils. The pharyngeal tube is composed of lamellae about a hundred in number. The lamellae are about 30 mμ in thickness and about 40 mμ apart from each other. The substance of the lamellae appears to be largely‐structureless, although some very fine, short fibrils randomly arranged can be distinguished in longitudinal sections.It is concluded that the component parts of the oral apparatus may come from different origins. Each of the long trichites composing the pharyngeal basket may originate from about 80 kinetosomes, and the lamellae composing the pharyngeal tube and the membranous system may arise from the sub‐pellicular membrane.

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