Morphology and Phylogenetic Position of an Unusual Stentor polymorphus (Ciliophora: Heterotrichea) Without Symbiotic Algae

Abstract

We investigated the live morphology, infraciliature, and small subunit rRNA gene sequences of an unusual population of Stentor polymorphus without symbiotic algae that was isolated from the southeastern region of Brazil. The morphological and molecular data confirmed the identity of this strain as S. polymorphus. The Brazilian S. polymorphus organism is 850-2,000 μm in length in vivo and has colorless cortical granules, a moniliform macronucleus with 6-12 nodules, somatic ciliature composed of 50-60 kineties, a single contractile vacuole located to the left of the cytostome, and a conspicuous oral pouch, and it does not build a lorica. Based on the phylogenetic analyses, the Brazilian S. polymorphus was located within a cluster consisting of four other S. polymorphus sequences, with high support values using both the Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood algorithms. Our study presents the first report of a S. polymorphus population without its symbionts under natural conditions. On the basis of our findings, we propose that the presence or absence of symbiotic algae should not be used as a taxonomic character for the identification of Stentor species.