• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2009

Two ciliate species of Blepharisma were collected from the riverine wetland and mountain peak soil in Korea, Blepharisma undulans Stein, 1867 and B. steini Kahl, 1932, which are reported for the first time from Korea. The description was based on the observations of live and protargol impregnation specimens. Diagnostics of these species (Blepharisma undulans vs. B. steini) are as follows. Body length/width ratio in vivo about 6/1 vs. 2/1, shaped in spindle vs. pyriform to ellipsoid and colored in pinkish vs. reddish. Macronuclei 2 vs. 1, with 4-9 vs. 4-7 spherical micronuclei. Adoral zone of membranelles extends from anterior end to 1/3 vs. 1/2-2/3 of body length, with 47-56 vs. 33-45 adoral membranelles. The numbers of somatic kineties are 22-27 vs. 18-22.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Potoscience Conference
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• spring
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• pp.23-23
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• 1997

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 1995

Light signals in the form of intensity gradient, propagation direction, and wavelength elicit diverse mechanical responses ("photomechanical responese") in most organisms. The single cell ciliates, Stentor coeruleus and Blepharisma japonicum, are particularly sensitive to the light of visible wavelengths. In this paper, the way in which the seemingly sophisticated light signal transduction is triggered by the photosensory apparatus will be described in terms of the photoreceptor structure and photochemical function.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2000

The photosensory ciliates Blepharisma japonicum and Stentor coeruleus use the hypericin-derived pigments blepharismin and stentorin, respectively, as photoreceptor chromophores. Fluorescence quenching studies have shown that the first excited singlet state of hypericin and the purified chromophores blepharismin and stentorin can be deactivated by electron transfer to an acceptor molecule with a suitable reducing potential [1,2]. This paper reports the result of a series of photobehavioral experiments performed with the aim to ascertain if the same electron accepters which quench the photoreceptor pigment fluorescence in vitro may also compete with the native acceptor molecule in its natural physiological environment. Individual cell trajectories were examined before and after light stimulation, in the presence and in the absence of potential "in vivo" electron accepters, with a microvideo-recording apparatus. Our data, on Blepharisma cells, showed that as the negative reduction potential of the electron acceptor increases, a pronounced decrease in cell photoresponsiveness was detected. A dramatic effect on cell photoresponsiveness was noticed in the presence of 1,4-benzoquinone that has the lowest negative reduction potential. Such an effect on the percentage of photoreacting cells was moderate in the case of 1,4-naphthoquinone, with a relatively higher negative reduction potential. In the presence of benzophenone, which has the highest negative reduction potential, no significant effect on photoreacting cells was noticed. Our results can support the hypothesis that in the pigment granules such a light-induced charge transfer from excited blepharismin to a suitable electron acceptor triggers sensory transduction processes in B. japonicum.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.301-320
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• 2021

During a field survey of indigenous Korean ciliates, we collected 21 unrecorded species from aquatic (freshwater and brackish water [salinity about 1.0‰] samples) and terrestrial(moss and soil samples) habitats. The morphology of these species was studied based on live observation, protargol, silver carbonate and silver nitrate impregnation, and scanning electron microscope. These species belong to seven classes as follows: 1) class Heterotrichea - Blepharisma seculum; 2) class Spirotrichea - Birojimia terricola, Bistichella variabilis, Deviata bacilliformis, Oxytricha paragranulifera, Parabistichella cf. variabilis, Steinia sphagnicola, Stichotricha aculeata, Stylonychia cf. notophora, and Tetmemena bifaria minima; 3) class Armophorea - Metopus es; 4) class Litostomatea - Acropisthium mutabile, Pseudomonilicaryon japonicum, and Rimaleptus alpinus; 5) class Phyllopharyngea - Podophrya bivacuolata; 6) class Nassophorea - Drepanomonas pauciciliata; and 7) class Oligohymenophorea - Dexiostoma campylum, Frontonia atra, Histiobalantium natans viridis, Opisthonecta minima, and Tetrahymena rostrata. Here, we provide a brief diagnosis and remark for each species.