Folliculinidae

The Folliculinidae are a family of ciliates in the class Heterotrichea, with the common name "bottle-animalcule".

Folliculinidae
Drawings of Folliculina limnoriae (3,4), F. abyssorum (5) and F. violacea (6)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Clade:	Diaphoretickes
Clade:	SAR
Clade:	Alveolata
Phylum:	Ciliophora
Class:	Heterotrichea
Order:	Heterotrichida
Family:	Folliculinidae Dons, 1914
Genera
Ampullofolliculina[1] Ascobius[1] Bickella[1] Diafolliculina[1] Eufolliculina[1] Folliculina[1] Folliculinopsis[1] Freia (genus)[1] Halofolliculina[1] Lagotia[1] Metafolliculina[1] Mirofolliculina[1] Orthofolliculina[1] Parafolliculina[1] Pseudofolliculina[1]

Description

Folliculinids are called "bottle-animalcules" because mature individuals are sessile and live inside a bottle-shaped lorica (shell).^[2] The cell body has two wing-shaped protrusions, called peristomal wings, which carry the ciliary structures which are part of the oral apparatus, by which they feed.^[2][3][4] Mature folliculinids are often attached to substrates like algae, plants, and animal shells or carapaces. They can be found in both marine and freshwater habitats, and feed on bacteria and other eukaryotic microorganisms.^[3]

Many species are pigmented, and some species from the deep sea that live near hydrothermal vents form large and extensive mats, which are called "blue mats" because of the color from the ciliates.^[5] These blue-mat folliculinids have a symbiotic association with bacteria, which may be found within the lorica, attached to the surface of the ciliate, and also inside the ciliate cells themselves.^[6] Most of these bacteria are methanotrophs, which can use methane coming from the hydrothermal vents as a source of carbon and energy.^[7]

About 30 genera of folliculinids are known, including Folliculina and Eufolliculina.^[8] The folliculinid species Halofolliculina corallasia are argued by some to cause a disease in corals called Skeletal Eroding Band (SEB) syndrome.

References

1. "Bickella - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life". Encyclopedia of Life.
2. Andrews, E. A. (1914-05-01). "The bottle-animalcule, folliculina; œcological notes". The Biological Bulletin. 26 (5): 262–285. doi:10.2307/1536068. ISSN 0006-3185. JSTOR 1536068.
3. Lynn, Denis H. (2008). Lynn, Denis H (ed.). The Ciliated Protozoa. Dordrecht: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-8239-9. ISBN 978-1-4020-8238-2.
4. Smith, Mol. "Micscape Microscopy and Microscope Magazine". www.microscopy-uk.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
5. "Sunday Protist -- Blue Mats of the deep sea: Folliculinopsis". skepticwonder.fieldofscience.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
6. Kouris, Angela; Kim Juniper, S.; Frébourg, Ghislaine; Gaill, Françoise (2007-03-01). "Protozoan–bacterial symbiosis in a deep-sea hydrothermal vent folliculinid ciliate (Folliculinopsis sp.) from the Juan de Fuca Ridge". Marine Ecology. 28 (1): 63–71. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0485.2006.00118.x. ISSN 1439-0485.
7. Pasulka, Alexis L.; Goffredi, Shana K.; Tavormina, Patricia L.; Dawson, Katherine S.; Levin, Lisa A.; Rouse, Greg W.; Orphan, Victoria J. (2017). "Colonial Tube-Dwelling Ciliates Influence Methane Cycling and Microbial Diversity within Methane Seep Ecosystems". Frontiers in Marine Science. 3. doi:10.3389/fmars.2016.00276. ISSN 2296-7745.
8. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Folliculinidae Dons, 1914". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2017-07-25.