P OPALINID CILIATE INFUSORIANS — METCALF 623 



sized vegetative granules and Golgi bodies, as evidenced by their 

 behavior, morphology and staining reactions." 



De Mello, 1931, described parasitic infusorians in Rhacophorus 

 maculatus in Nova Goa, among them Opalina virgula Dobell, Cepedea 

 longa Bezzenberger, and Cepedea thiagi de Mello. 



Scott and Homing, 1932, reported that Opalinas from the rectum 

 of Rana pipiens [doubtless 0. obtrigonoidea] when imbedded in paraffin 

 and microincinerated according to the technique of Policard, and then 

 examined by dark-field illumination, retained their distinctive cyto- 

 plasmic morphological characters in the ash deposited in the same 

 topographic relations as those shown by the cell-inclusions in stained 

 specimens. The coarse vegetative granules, the myonemata and the 

 cilia were "perfectly preserved." The more or less abundant chro- 

 matin, however, left httle or no ash, in marked contrast with Scott's 

 findings with amphibian and mammalian nuclei. 



Chen, 1932a and b (abstracts), described mitosis in a species of 

 Zelleriella. He found that the behavior of chromosomes is essentially 

 the same as that in the Metazoa and Metaphyta. Among the 24 

 chromosomes found in this species the six shortest ones could be recog- 

 nized in every dividing nucleus. (See comments by Metcalf in Chen, 

 1932a.) 



Patten, 1932a, a preliminary note. 



Patten, 1932b, made a detailed study of the endoplasmic bodies in 

 Opalina ranarum. The endospherules in this opalinid are said to be 

 somewhat flattened disklike structures or dumbbell-shaped forms. 

 Usually in sections cut parallel to the flattened surface of the organ- 

 ism these bodies are rounded or rather irregular in shape, while in 

 sections cut transversely to the flattened surface they are mostly 

 rod-shaped or frequently drawn out into dumbbell-shaped forms, 

 while in oblique sections every form may be seen with gradations from 

 rod-shaped to u-regular shapes. Richardson and tlorning had pre- 

 viously considered that two types of bodies are present: The irregu- 

 lar, famtly staining granules— the vegetative granules— and the rod- 

 shaped or dumbbell-shaped mitochondria. According to Patten there 

 is but one class of body in Opalina ranarum. The rod and irregular 

 bodies are thought to be but two aspects of the same body. She 

 furnished additional evidence supporting her view in that the dumb- 

 bell forms (mitochondria of Horning), as well as the irregular forms, 

 are well shown by alcoholic fixatives that normally dissolve the 

 mitochondria. Living material was also studied. It was her belief 

 that these endoplasmic bodies are probably neither Golgi bodies nor 

 mitochondria. She does not beUeve that they are identical with the 

 macronuclei of other ciliates, as Konsuloff and others claimed. She 

 was inclmed to beheve that the endospherules may be concerned with 



