Note on a Marine Labyrinthula

Abstract

Plasmodia of Labyrinthula almost invariably appear in the diatom cultures and other small marine aquaria which I have kept during the last several years for a variety of purposes in Glasgow. These aquaria are stocked with material from Millport, I. of Cumbrae, and I think it quite certain that the Labyrinthula is imported thence.This amazing creature has attracted interest ever since it was first described by Cienkowski in 1867, and good figures of it have been published by Cienkowski (1867), Duboscq (1921), and Valkanov (1929). The following note is to be regarded as a commentary on previous work and a record of my own observations rather than as an exhaustive account of the organism.

Zoosporic parasites infecting marine diatoms – A black box that needs to be opened

“…Gaertner, 1979; Raghukumar, 1980c). While, in general, diatom mucus is well known as an important substratum for thraustochytrid development (Jepps, 1931), it has been also shown that labyrinthulids are able to penetrate and enter the cells of some diatoms (Raghukumar, 2004). However, osmotrophic (extracellular digestion) feeding strategies have also been observed to occur in Labyrinthula (a parasite of eelgrass, Young, 1943; Muehlstein, 1992), suggesting variable feeding strategies for these organisms.…”

Biological Observations on the Marine Fungi of Woods Hole Waters

“…Very frequently in the debris which collects in the bottom of aquaria containing marine algae, species of Labyrinthula are observed, and it is probable that they occur much more frequently than records in the literature indicate a fact also evident from Miss Jepps's (1931) paper.…”

Actin‐Based Motility in the Net Slime MouldLabyrinthula: Evidence for the Role of Myosin in Gliding Movement

“…These trackways interconnect clumps or aggregates of cells to form a cooperative network over the substratum, hence an earlier name for them, ''net slime molds.'' Labyrinthula is commonly found living on seaweed such as Laminaria (Duboscq 1921), diatoms such as Nitzschia, Amphipora (Jepps 1931) or marine angiosperms (e.g. Zostera and Spartina).…”

“…Labyrinthulidae are a small group of aquatic or terrestrial saprophytic protozoons whose plasmodial stage is characterised by the production of structurally distinct trackways along which spindle‐shaped cells glide (Leander and Porter 2001). These trackways interconnect clumps or aggregates of cells to form a co‐operative network over the substratum, hence an earlier name for them, “net slime molds.” Labyrinthula is commonly found living on seaweed such as Laminaria (Duboscq 1921), diatoms such as Nitzschia , Amphipora (Jepps 1931) or marine angiosperms (e.g. Zostera and Spartina ).…”