A stalkless subspecies of Clathrulina elegans Cienkowski (1867) from the plankton of Loch Ness, Scotland

During the course of a detailed investigation of the plankton dynamics of Loch Ness, Scotland, we have discovered a stalkless form of Clathrulina living in the plankton. This heliozoon was established in culture and its life-cycle events observed. Though broadly similar to the sequence of events described by Bardele [4] for Clathrulina elegans, it differs in respect of lacking a stalk and in the number of fission products produced. We propose that the planktonic form of the species living in the pelagic zone of Loch Ness be regarded as a sub-species, Clathrulina elegans var. planktonicum. © 1995, Gustav Fischer Verlag · Stuttgart · Jena · New York. All rights reserved.