[Protista] Paramecium tric

[paul earl]

Dear Reader,

Paramecium trichium Stokes, 1885 is not a synonym of  P. putrinum 
Claparede & Lachmann, 1858-59 since it is smaller and also its MI is 
smaller. See Wenrich DH (J Morph Physiol 43: 81-103, 1926). The original 
descriptions have length 83 for P. trichium and 105 µm for P. putrinum. 
By Wenrich's measurements, P. trichium has: 85 L, 34 W, 20 MAL and 10 
MAW, single, compact MI of 3 µm, round yet sometimes oval. P. putrinum 
has about 4.5 µm for MI..Y. Tsukii gave 91 x 44 microns for P. trichium 
from Japan. See 
http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/pdb/Images/Ciliophora/Paramecium/trichium/trichium_02.html 
Kudo (1966 but not forgotten!) gave 80-150 for P. putrinum. This average 
is (80 + 150)/2) = 115 µm. The MA of  P. putrinum is 25 x 15 µm.

We have 4 possible groups as greater than100 µm L or less, and greater 
than 4 µm MI or less.

Figure 1 after Wenrich, 1926, including "pocketing" of the MA surface. 
Attached.

Wenrich wrote, "It is quite impossible to harmonize these varying 
descriptions of  P. putrinum with each other or with the known 
characters of P. trichium. I am inclined to believe that the species 
described by Schewiakoff, Roux, and Alvarez are all different species, 
while that of Bütschli is probably identical with P. trichium." 
Schewiakoff's species was about 130 µm L.

Currently, paramecia less than 100 µm long are called P. putrinum that 
are P. trichium.

Best,                            Paul R Earl
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