Ultrastructure of Sporulation in the European Flat Oyster Pathogen, Marteilia refringens—Taxonomic Implications*

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. By fine‐structural studies of speculation stages in the European flat oyster pathogen Marteilia refringens this organism is shown to be a member of the protozoan class Haplosporea. This conclusion is based on observations that haplosporosomes are found in plasmodia and spores and that sporoplasm delimitation occurs by internal cleavage within plasmodia. During sporulation plasmodia become sporangiosori by enlarging, cleaving internally into ∼ 8 sporangia, each of which then cleaves internally into 3 or 4 spore primordia. The primordia divide into 3 uninucleate sporoplasms of graded sizes, the smallest lying in an eccentrically located vacuole of the medium‐sized one, and the latter situated within an eccentric vacuole of the largest. Haplosporosomes are found only in the cytoplasm of the largest sporoplasm. Mature, living spores measure 3.9(3.5–4.5)μm diameter and are enclosed in a continuous wall without a mantle of epispore cytoplasm as in other Haplosporea.An amended genus and species description of Marteilia refringens is presented, based on light and electron microscope observations.