Parvilucifera prorocentri

Super Group: 
Alveolata
Phylum: 
Perkinsozoa
Class: 
Perkinsea
Order: 
Perkinsida
Family: 
Perkinsidae
Genus: 
Parvilucifera
Species: 
prorocentri
Authority: 
Leander and Hoppenrath

Diagnosis

Diagnosis_species: Biflagellate zoospores reniform, about 4 mm long and with transverse flagellum, small alveoli, refractile body, a central mitochondrion, one nucleus with condensed chromatin directly beneath the nuclear envelope, large lipid droplet(s), micronemes, bipartite trichocysts with bodies square in cross section that are oriented toward the cell apex and a cluster of oblong microbodies. A reduced, sheet-like pseudoconoid consisting of 4–5 microtubules positioned above an orthogonal pair of basal bodies. Early developmental stage of intracellular sporangium about 5–15 mm in diam that formed a complex three-layered envelope with a convoluted midlayer surrounding spherical bodies and amorphous spaces; middle stages about 20–25 mm in diam and consisting of a robust cyst wall containing an undifferentiated mass; late stages consisting of a mass of differentiated zoospores. Pronounced germ tube about 4–5 mm in diam and 10–15 mm long. Prior to spore differentiation, the sporangia contain nuclei without condensed chromatin, mitochondria, lipid droplets, trichocysts and basal bodies.

Body_spores_length: 4 µm

Etymology

Refers to the genus of the type dinoflagellate host, Prorocentrum.

Type species

The type species (holotype) of the genus Parvilucifera is P. infectans.

Type illustration / Type locality / Type specimen

Type_locality: Boundary Bay, British Columbia, Canada (49100N, 123180W).
Type_specimen: Both resin-embedded parasites used for TEM and parasites on gold sputter-coated SEM stubs have been deposited in the Beaty Biodiversity Research Centre (Marine Invertebrate Collection) at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The embedded parasites were fixed in situ within the host cells.

Ecology

Substrate_spores: planktonic
Substrate_trophont: endophytic

Sociability_spores: solitary
Sociability_trophont: solitary

Salinity: marine

pH : neutral
 

Life cycle

Lytic cycle, zoosporic parasite.
Generation: <1 month
Reproduction_mode: asexual

Symbiont: horizontal_active-penetration
 

Feeding behaviour

Osmotrophy

Mode of locomotion

Zoospores with two flagella

Attached phylogeny

Observation site(s)

HOSTS

Displaying 1 - 2 of 2
Association with... Region origin Name of site In reference...
Prorocentrum fukuyoi Boundary Bay Centennial Beach
Hoppenrath M, Leander BS (2009) Molecular Phylogeny of Parvilucifera prorocentri (Alveolata, Myzozoa): Insights into Perkinsid Character Evolution. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 56:251 - 256. doi: 10.1111/jeu.2009.56.issue-310.1111/j.1550-7408.2009.00395.x
Prorocentrum fukuyoi Boundary Bay Centennial Beach