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The Life Cycle of Rotaliella elatiana N. Sp.: A Tiny Macroalgavorous Foraminifer from the Gulf of Elat 1
Author(s) -
PAWLOWSKI JAN,
LEE JOHN J.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1992.tb01293.x
Subject(s) - botany , alternation (linguistics) , ploidy , reproduction , phase (matter) , biology , physics , ecology , genetics , philosophy , linguistics , gene , quantum mechanics
. A new foraminiferan species, Rotaliella elatiana n. sp., was isolated in the Gulf of Elat, where it lives in association with a macrophytic green alga, Enteromorpha . The agamont of this tiny new species has a transparent test composed of a bilocular embryonic chamber followed by six to seven trochospirally coiled inflated chambers. The spiral sutures are undulated. The umbilical side has numerous denticules and has radial grooves. The gamont has only one inflated chamber. Rotaliella elatiana has a classical, heterophasic life cycle, with a regular alternation of diploid agamontic phase and haploid gamontic phase. The gamontic phase of the life cycle is exceptionally reduced and the uninucleated gamonts pair immediately after they build their first chamber. A few cases of autogamic reproduction were observed. R. elatiana is a heterocaryotic species; agamonts have one somatic and two to three generative nuclei.