Eugene C. Bovee

New species of Eimeria from lizards of Japan.

BOVEE, E. C. 1971. New species of Eimeria from lizards of Japan. Trans. Amer. Micros. Soc., 90: 336-343. Seven new species of Eimeria are described from Japanese lizards. Four are apparently intestinal residents, the oocysts being recovered from gut contents: Eimeria michikoa n. sp., from Gekko japonicus; E. telfordi n. sp., from Gehyra mutilata; E. rountreei n. sp., from Takydromus tachydromoides; E. sami, from Eumeces oshimensis. Three other species are inhabitants of the epithelium of the gall bladder and bile ducts of their respective hosts: E japonicis n. sp., from Gekko japonicus; E. pellopleuris n. sp., from Lygosoma pellopleurum; E. japaluris n. sp., from Japalura polygonata. There is no oocystic residuum, no polar body, no micropyle, nor Stieda body on sporocyst for any of these species.

INDUCTION OF MACROSTOME FORMATION IN BLEPHARISMA AMERICANUM (SUZUKI, 1954) BY ALPHA-TOCOPHERYL SUCCINATE

LENNARTZ, D. & BOVEE, E. 1980. Induction of macrostome formation in Blepharisma americanum (Suzuki, 1954) by alpha-tocopheryl succinate. Trans. Amer. Micros. Soc., 99: 310-317. The transformation of the heterotrich ciliate, Blepharisma americanum (Suzuki, 1954), from a bactivore to a carnivore, or cannibal giant is described. This transformation process is induced by exogenous d-alpha-tocopheryl acid succinate present at 10-6 to 10-4 M. In the presence of such concentrations, B. americanum undergoes a sequential alteration of morphology, especially with respect to the oral ciliature and buccal cavity. The length and volume of the organism also are increased greatly. Over a 6-10-h period following the addition of the vitamin, Blepharisma americanum develops an enlarged undulating membrane and adoral zone of membranelles due to the elongation of the component cilia. At 10-4 M tocopheryl, some monsterism is observed in the form of L-shaped or greatly elongated organisms after 3.5 h. At lower concentrations, transformation takes 8-15 h, and fewer individuals attain giant size. When B. americanum is removed from the vitamin solution, washed, and placed in sterile Chalkleys solution at pH 6.8, the ciliates revert to a normal bactivorous form by means of numerous cell divisions over a 3-day period. The results obtained in this study are essentially the same as the results of similar research on forms found in declining cultures of B. americanum, and bear considerable resemblance to the stomatin-induced transformations of Tetrahymena vorax. However, in the present work, a defined substance was used to induce transformation.