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Harold Kirby's symbionts of termites: karyomastigont reproduction and calonymphid taxonomyHarold Kirby's brilliant principle of mastigont multiplicity is published here posthumously more than 40 years after it was written. He applies this principle to large multinucleate protist symbionts of termites in establishing the taxonomy of Calonymphids (Family Calonymphidae in Phylum Zoomastigina, Kingdom Protoctista). The nuclei and kinetosomes in these heterotrophic cells are organized into trichomonad-style mastigont units which reproduce independently of cytokinesis to generate nine new Calonympha and nineteen new Stephanonympha species. The total of six genera (Calonympha, Coronympha, Diplonympha, Metacoronympha, Snyderella and Stephanonympha, all symbionts of dry-wood-eating termites, Kalotermitidae) are recognized. With the aid of Michael Yamin, the distribution of all twenty-eight of Kirby's Calonympha and Stephanonympha species are tabulated. In italic type I have annotated this paper to be comprehensible to a wide readership of cell biologists, protistologists and those interested in insect symbionts. Although this extremely original and careful work was not finished when Kirby died suddenly in 1952, I deemed it important and complete enough to finally publish it so that it would not be lost to scientific posterity.
Document ID
20040089541
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Kirby, H.
(University of California Berkeley, United States)
Margulis, L.
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1994
Publication Information
Publication: Symbiosis
Volume: 16
Issue: 1
ISSN: 0334-5114
Subject Category
Exobiology
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Non-NASA Center
NASA Discipline Exobiology

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