Amoebophrya ceratii-species complex

Super Group: 
Alveolata
Phylum: 
Dinophyta
Class: 
Syndinea
Order: 
Syndiniales
Family: 
Amoebophyidae
Genus: 
Amoebophrya
Species-complex: 
ceratii-species-complex
Species: 
ceratii-species-complex
Cluster: 
MALV II
Authority: 
(Koeppen 1903) Cachon 1964
Synonym(s): 
Hyalosaccus ceratii Koeppen

Diagnosis

Diagnosis_Genus: Amoebophrya Koeppen 1984. Intracellular parasites. Smallest trophonts observed have 3 µm long, a gymnodiniales form, with a large hypocone and a small rudimentary epicone. The hypocone broadens at its base and forms a cup-shaped circumvallation, turning in spiral. The hypocone starts to cover the epicone (in other word, the epicone becomes progressively invaginated into the hypocone, forming a cavity, the mastigocoel, which is a characteristic of the genus Amoebophrya. This mastigocoel remains open by a small aperture at the apex of the trophont. Sporogenesis starts rapidly during this transformation. The inner surface of the mastigocoel is furnished with helically coiled ridges as a result of a continuous lengthening of the previous dinospore girdle during the trophic growth. Along these ridges countless flagella are inserted. Flagella of  future dinospores (the free-living stage of the parasite) are produced inside the mastigocoel. At the end of the intracellular maturation, flagella started to beat, and what was the epicone at the origin, directed through the aperture of the mastigocoel, moved forward. This evagination make the flagella outside the structure, which is now called the vermiform. This action breacks out the host membrane, releasing the vermiform outside. This vermiform is closed forward (at the epicone side), but open in the back. When release, this part forms a large digestive vacuole that contains what remains from the host. This vermiform considerably strechs out with time. The spore chain forming the vermiform rapidly separates to produce spores (gymnodinial shape), generally of two different sizes (macrospores and microspores). These spores have a large epicone and a reduced hypocone (the reverse of what is observed during the first stage of the trophont).

Diagnosis_species: Amoebophrya ceratii Cachon 1964. This is a species complex, that belong to Marine Alveolate group II (likely synonymous to Amoebophryidae, Guillou et al. 2008).
Endoparasitoid of Gymnodiniales and Peridiniales. This parasite also infects other closely related parasites such as Amoebophrya acanthometrae, A. leptodiscis and Hollandella mycetoides. Generally, the trophont starts to develop inside the cytoplasm in Gymnodiniales and inside the nucleus in Peridiniales. The free-living stage, the dinospores, adheres to the host surface using trichocysts and flagellar hairs. During penetration, electron dense bodies within a microtubular basket form the membrane of the parasitophorous vacuole (see Miller et al. 2012). Within the nucleus, this parasitophorous membrane is lost (see Miller et al. 2012). More than one parasite can penetrate the host, but ony one develops in general. This species forms a cytopharynx, supported by a microtubular structure. This cytopharynx ends either inside the cavity of the mastigocoel or directly inside the cytoplasm of the trophont. It is unclear whether cytoplasmic parasites, surrounded by the parasitophourous membrane, develop this cytopharynx as well. This cytopharynx helps in the transit of pre-digested particles which are then suck inside this cytopharynx and totally digested inside the trophont. Sporogenesis continues when the parasite is released ouside its host, during the vermiform stage. 

Etymology

Amoebophrya: looks like to an amibe (Koeppen 1894).

Type species

The type species (lectotype) of the genus Amoebophrya is Amoebophrya acanthometrae Borgert 1897.

Ecology

Substrate_spores: planktonic
Substrate_trophont: endophytic
Substrate_trophont: endozoic

Sociability_spores: solitary
Sociability_trophont: solitary
Sociability_trophont: colonial

Salinity: marine
Salinity: variable (estuary)
pH: neutral

Feeding: hyperparasitism (by phagotrophy)
Feeding: parasitism (by phagotrophy)

Life cycle

Phases_alternance: haplontic
Generation: <1 month

Reproduction_mode: asexual

Symbiont: horizontal_active-penetration

Feeding behaviour

Parasitism
Hyperparasitism
Phagotrophy

Mode of locomotion

Flagellum_spore:2
Motility_spore:motile_swimming

Observation site(s)

HOSTS

Displaying 1 - 50 of 62
Association with... Region origin Name of site In reference...
Plectodinium nucleovolvatum Sète
Plectodinium nucleovolvatum Alger Bay
Akashiwo sanguinea Santa Cruz Wharf - Monterey Bay
Alexandrium fundyense Nauset Marsh system Salt Pond
Amoebophrya acanthometrae
Amoebophrya leptodisci
Amphisolenia globifera Western basin A
Blepharocysta paulseni Western basin A
Blepharocysta paulseni Levantine Sea C
Blepharocysta paulseni Ionian Sea B
Ceratium tripos Yangtze River
Dinophysis acuminata Cabo Frio Island
Dinophysis acuminata
Dinophysis norvegica Mahone Bay
Fritz L, Nass M (1992) Development of the endoparasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya ceratii within host dinoflagellate species. Journal of Phycology 28:312 - 320. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-3646.1992.00312.x
Dinophysis norvegica
Salomon PS, Janson S, Granéli E (2003) Multiple species of the dinophagous dinoflagellate genus Amoebophrya infect the same host species. Environmental Microbiology 5:1046 - 1052. doi: 10.1046/j.1462-2920.2003.00511.x
Dinophysis norvegica
Dinophysis norvegica New Scotland Mahone Bay
Fritz L, Nass M (1992) Development of the endoparasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya ceratii within host dinoflagellate species. Journal of Phycology 28:312 - 320. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-3646.1992.00312.x
Diplopsalis lenticula
Gonyaulax fragilis Western basin A
Gonyaulax fragilis Levantine Sea C
Gonyaulax polygramma Levantine Sea C
Kryptoperidinium foliaceum Sète
Ornithocercus carolinae Ionian Sea B
Oxyrrhis marina Sète
Peridinium sociale Alger Bay
Podolampas bipes Western basin A
Podolampas bipes Ionian Sea B
Podolampas spinifera Western basin A
Podolampas spinifera Levantine Sea C
Polykrikos kofoidii
Drebes G (1984) Life cycle and host specificty of marine parasitic dinophytes. Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen 37:603-622.
Prorocentrum cordatum Cabo Frio Island
Prorocentrum micans Alger Bay
Prorocentrum micans Thau Lagoon
Prorocentrum minimum Greenwich Cove
Protoperidinium depressum Alger Bay
Protoperidinium steinii Cabo Frio Island
Protoperidinium sp. Thau Lagoon
Scrippsiella trochoidea-species complex Thau Lagoon
Scrippsiella trochoidea-species complex Yangtze River
Scrippsiella trochoidea-species complex Chesapeake Bay
Scrippsiella trochoidea-species complex Mahone Bay
Fritz L, Nass M (1992) Development of the endoparasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya ceratii within host dinoflagellate species. Journal of Phycology 28:312 - 320. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-3646.1992.00312.x
Scrippsiella trochoidea_STR1 New Scotland Mahone Bay
Fritz L, Nass M (1992) Development of the endoparasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya ceratii within host dinoflagellate species. Journal of Phycology 28:312 - 320. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-3646.1992.00312.x
Tripos contrarium Levantine Sea C
Tripos contrarium Western basin A
Tripos furca Cabo Frio Island
Tripos furca Baja California
Tripos fusus Western basin A
Tripos fusus Levantine Sea C
Tripos horridum Levantine Sea C
Tripos macroceros Cabo Frio Island