PHYSIOLOGY 



113 



spicuously present and is looked upon as a characteristic feature of 

 the organism. The iodinophile vacuole of the spores of Myxobolidae 

 is a well-defined vacuole containing glycogenous substance and is 

 also considered as possessing a taxonomic value. In many ciliates, 

 both free-living (Paramecium, Glaucoma, Vorticella, Stentor, etc.) 

 and parasitic (Ophryoscolecidae, Nyctotherus, Balantidium (Faure- 

 Fremiet and Thaureaux, 1944)), glycogenous bodies are always 

 present. According to MacLennan (1936), the development of the 

 paraglycogen in Ichthyophthirius is associated with the chondrio- 

 somes. In Eimeria tenella, glycogenous substance does apparently 

 not occur in the schizonts, merozoites, or microgametocytes ; but 

 becomes apparent first in the macrogametocyte, and increases in 

 amount with its development, a small amount being demonstrable 

 in the sporozoites (Edgar et al., 1944). 



c 



Fig. 41. a-d, two types of paramylon present in Euglena gracilis 

 (Btitschli); e-h, paramylon of E '. sanguinea, X1100 (Heidt). (e, natural 

 appearance; f, g, dried forms; h, strongly pressed body.) 



The anabolic products of the holophytic nutrition are starch, 

 paramylon, oil and fats. The paramylon bodies are of various forms 

 among different species, but appear to maintain a certain character- 

 istic form within a species and can be used to a certain extent in 

 taxonomic consideration. According to Heidt (1937), the paramylon 

 of Euglena sanguinea (Fig. 41) is spirally coiled which confirms 

 Butschli's observation. The paramylon appears to be a polysac- 

 charide which is insoluble in boiling water, but dissolves in concen- 

 trated sulphuric acid, potassium hydroxide, and slowly in formalde- 

 hyde. It does not stain with either iodine or chlor-zinc-iodide and 

 when treated with a dilute potassium hydroxide, the paramylon 

 bodies become enlarged and frequently exhibit a concentric stratifi- 

 cation. 



In the Chrysomonadina, the reserve food material is in the form 

 of refractile spheroid bodies which are known as leucosin, probably 

 a carbohydrate which when boiled in water stains with iodine. Oil 



