Abstract
Tetrahymena rostrata is a free-living ciliated protozoan and is a facultative parasite of some species of terrestrial mollusks. It is a potential biopesticide of pest slugs, such as the grey field slug, which cause considerable damage to crops. T. rostrata has several developmental forms. Homogeneous preparations of the feeding stage cells (trophonts) and excysted stage cells (theronts) were compared for their ability to infect and kill Deroceras reticulatum slugs. Theronts were more effective and remained viable and infective, even after prolonged starvation.
Highlights
Tetrahymena rostrata (Kahl, 1926; Corliss 1952) (Ciliophora: Oligohymenophorea) has been shown to infect and kill species of land slugs and snails and has been proposed as a possible biological control agent of pest mollusks
This paper examines the infectivity of different life stages of T. rostrata to terrestrial mollusks with a view to advance these prospects
In the absence of food, trophonts become fast-swimming tomites and secrete mucins, which form a soft capsule around tomonts, which develop into cysts in which meiosis occurs
Summary
Tetrahymena rostrata (Kahl, 1926; Corliss 1952) (Ciliophora: Oligohymenophorea) has been shown to infect and kill species of land slugs and snails and has been proposed as a possible biological control agent of pest mollusks. This paper examines the infectivity of different life stages of T. rostrata to terrestrial mollusks with a view to advance these prospects. Four developmental stages of T. rostrata could be distinguished; trophonts, tomonts, tomites and theronts [2,3] (Figure 1). The pyriform, freeswimming, feeding, trophonts occur when food sources are available. In the absence of food, trophonts become fast-swimming tomites and secrete mucins, which form a soft capsule around tomonts, which develop into cysts in which meiosis occurs. Theronts, which emerge from the cyst capsules, are attracted to proteinaceous materials and convert into trophonts after feeding [3,4]. Natural infections have been recorded in enchytraeid worms, Enchytraeidae [3], Deroceras reticulatum (Müller 1744)
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