# Frontonia > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Frontonia > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Frontonia.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontonia > Source revision: 1319464025 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Genus of single-celled organisms}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = The ciliate Frontonia sp.jpg | image_caption = ''Frontonia'' sp., specimen is digesting [cyanobacteria](/source/cyanobacteria), the mouth ([cytostome](/source/cytostome)) is at the bottom right. | taxon = Frontonia | authority = [Ehrenberg](/source/Christian_Gottfried_Ehrenberg), 1838 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text }} '''''Frontonia''''' is a genus of free-living [unicellular](/source/unicellular) [ciliate](/source/ciliate) [protists](/source/protists), belonging to the order [Peniculida](/source/Peniculida). As Peniculids, the ''Frontonia'' are closely related to members of the genus ''[Paramecium](/source/Paramecium)''. However, whereas ''Paramecia'' are mainly [bacterivore](/source/bacterivore)s, ''Frontonia'' are capable of ingesting large prey such as diatoms, filamentous algae, testate amoebas,{{cite journal |last1=Dias |first1=Roberto Júnio P. |last2=D'Agosto |first2=Marta |title=Feeding behavior of ''Frontonia leucas'' (Ehrenberg) (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Hymenostomatida) under different environmental conditions in a lotic system |journal=Revista Brasileira de Zoologia |date=September 2006 |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=758–763 |doi=10.1590/S0101-81752006000300021 |doi-access=free }} and even, in some circumstances, members of their own species.{{cite journal |last1=Devi |first1=R. Vimala |title=Cannibalism in ''Frontonia leucas'' Ehr. |journal=The Journal of Protozoology |date=August 1964 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=304–307 |doi=10.1111/j.1550-7408.1964.tb01758.x }} In bacteria-rich [saprobic](/source/saprobic) conditions, ''Frontonia leucas'' can live as a facultative bacterivore.{{cite journal |last1=Dias |first1=Roberto Júnio P. |last2=D'Agosto |first2=Marta |title=Feeding behavior of ''Frontonia leucas'' (Ehrenberg) (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Hymenostomatida) under different environmental conditions in a lotic system |journal=Revista Brasileira de Zoologia |date=September 2006 |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=758–763 |doi=10.1590/S0101-81752006000300021 |doi-access=free }} ''Frontonia'' are widely dispersed, and members of the genus can be found in marine and freshwater environments on every continent.{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1574-6941.2006.00259.x |title=Ciliate biogeography in Antarctic and Arctic freshwater ecosystems: Endemism or global distribution of species? |year=2007 |last1=Petz |first1=Wolfgang |last2=Valbonesi |first2=Alessandro |last3=Schiftner |first3=Uwe |last4=Quesada |first4=Antonio |last5=Cynan Ellis-Evans |first5=J. |journal=FEMS Microbiology Ecology |volume=59 |issue=2 |pages=396–408 |pmid=17313584 |s2cid=13117002 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Long |first1=Hongan |last2=Song |first2=Weibo |last3=Al-Rasheid |first3=Khaled A. S. |last4=Wang |first4=Yangang |last5=Yi |first5=Zhenzhen |last6=Al-Quraishy |first6=Saleh A. |last7=Lin |first7=Xiaofeng |last8=Al-Farraj |first8=Saleh A. |title=Taxonomic studies on three marine species of ''Frontonia'' from northern China: ''F. didieri'' n. sp., ''F. multinucleata'' n. sp. and ''F. tchibisovae'' Burkovsky, 1970 (Ciliophora: Peniculida) |journal=Zootaxa |date=23 January 2008 |volume=1687 |issue=1 |pages=35 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1687.1.2 }} ==Appearance and characteristics== thumb|170px|left|Frontonia leucas, by V. Schewiakoff, 1889 thumb|''Frontonia'' sp. ''Frontonia'' species vary in length from 50 to 600 micrometres.Patterson, D.J. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa: A Colour Guide. Manson, 1992,1996. p. 133. {{ISBN|1-874545-40-5}} Cell bodies are typically ovoid or elongate, and somewhat flattened from back to front. They are flexible, uniformly ciliated, and usually surrounded by [trichocyst](/source/trichocyst)s. The small oral aperture is pear-shaped, and located in the anterior half of the cell.Carey, Philip G., Marine interstitial ciliates: an illustrated key. Chapman and Hall, 1992, {{ISBN|978-0-412-40610-2}} p. 129 Along the left side of the opening there are three [membranelle](/source/membranelle)s, and the right has a single paroral membrane. The mouth is supported by inconspicuous [microtubular](/source/microtubule) rods (nematodesmata),{{cite journal |last1=Gil |first1=Rosario |title=Cortical fine structure of ''Frontonia leucas'' (Ciliata: Holotricha) |journal=Transactions of the American Microscopical Society |date=1981 |volume=100 |issue=4 |pages=373–383 |doi=10.2307/3226150 |jstor=3226150 }} and may expand during feeding to as much as two-thirds of the cell's length.{{cite journal |last1=Goldsmith |first1=William M. |title=The process of ingestion in the ciliate, ''Frontonia'' |journal=Journal of Experimental Zoology |date=October 1922 |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=332–351 |doi=10.1002/jez.1400360305 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1426888 }} The cytoplasm of some species, such as ''Frontonia atra'' and ''Frontonia acuminata'', can be darkly pigmented. ==Classification== The genus ''Frontonia'', created by [C. G. Ehrenberg](/source/Christian_Gottfried_Ehrenberg) in 1838, includes some thirty named and described species.{{cite journal |last1=Long |first1=Hongan |last2=Song |first2=Weibo |last3=Gong |first3=Jun |last4=Hu |first4=Xiaozhong |last5=Ma |first5=Honggang |last6=Zhu |first6=Mingzhuang |last7=Wang |first7=Mei |title=''Frontonia lynni'' n. sp., a new marine ciliate (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Hymenostomatida) from Qingdao, China |journal=Zootaxa |date=3 June 2005 |volume=1003 |issue=1 |pages=57 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1003.1.4 }} In 2008, analysis of small subunit rRNA gene sequences confirmed the close relationship of several members of the genus: ''Frontonia leucas,'' ''F. vernalis,'' ''F. tchibisovae,'' ''F. lynni.'' However, ''Frontonia didieri'' was found to be related more closely to a species from another genus, ''Apofrontonia dohrni.'' This result calls into question the [monophyly](/source/monophyly) of the genus ''Frontonia'', and also casts doubt on the morphological criteria used to distinguish ''Apofrontonia'' from it.{{cite journal |id={{NAID|10029826287}} |last1=Gao |first1=Shan |last2=Chen |first2=Zi-Gui |last3=Shao |first3=Chen |last4=Long |first4=Hong-An |last5=Al-Rasheid |first5=Khaled A. S. |last6=Song |first6=Wei-Bo |title=Reconsideration of the phylogenetic position of ''Frontonia''-related Peniculia (Ciliophora, Protozoa) inferred from the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences |journal=Acta Protozoologica |date=1 March 2008 |volume=47 |issue=1 }} ==Image gallery== Image:Frontonia leucas.jpg Image:Frontonia vernalis -- from Ehrenberg.jpg ==Video gallery== File:Frontonia ingesting a diatom.ogg|''Frontonia leucas'' ingesting a diatom File:Frontonia atra.ogg|''Frontonia atra'' has symbiotic bacteria in its cytoplasm File:Frontonia leucas.ogv|''Frontonia leucas'', radiating canals around contractile vacuole File:Frontonia vernalis.ogv|''Frontonia vernalis'' carries symbiotic algae in its cytoplasm ==List of accepted species names== {{columns-list|colwidth=25em|1= * ''[Frontonia aberrans](/source/Frontonia_aberrans)'' Dragesco, 1960 * ''[Frontonia acuminata](/source/Frontonia_acuminata)'' (Ehrenberg, 1834) Bütschli, 1889 * ''[Frontonia acuta](/source/Frontonia_acuta)'' Fromentel, 1876 * ''[Frontonia acutissima](/source/Frontonia_acutissima)'' Dumas, 1930 * ''[Frontonia alba](/source/Frontonia_alba)'' Fromentel, 1876 * ''[Frontonia algivora](/source/Frontonia_algivora)'' Kahl, 1931 * ''[Frontonia ambigua](/source/Frontonia_ambigua)'' Dragesco, 1972 * ''[Frontonia angusta Kahl](/source/Frontonia_angusta_Kahl)'', 1931 * ''[Frontonia arenaria Kahl](/source/Frontonia_arenaria_Kahl)'', 1933 * ''[Frontonia atra](/source/Frontonia_atra)'' (Ehrenberg, 1834) Bütschli, 1889 * ''[Frontonia branchiostomae](/source/Frontonia_branchiostomae)'' Codreanu, 1928 * ''[Frontonia canadensis](/source/Frontonia_canadensis)'' * ''[Frontonia caneti](/source/Frontonia_caneti)'' Dragesco, 1960 * ''[Frontonia curva](/source/Frontonia_curva)'' Fromentel, 1876 * ''[Frontonia cypraea](/source/Frontonia_cypraea)'' Zacharias, 1904 * ''[Frontonia depressa](/source/Frontonia_depressa)'' (Stokes, 1886) Kahl, 1931 * ''[Frontonia didieri](/source/Frontonia_didieri)'' Long, Song, AL-Rasheid, Wang, Yi, Al-Quraishy, Lin & AL-Farraj, 2008 * ''[Frontonia elliptica](/source/Frontonia_elliptica)'' Beardsley, 1902 * ''[Frontonia frigida](/source/Frontonia_frigida)'' Petz, Song & Wilbert, 1995 * ''[Frontonia fusca](/source/Frontonia_fusca)'' Quennerstedt, 1869 * ''[Frontonia lacrimula](/source/Frontonia_lacrimula)'' Dumas, 1930 * ''[Frontonia leucas](/source/Frontonia_leucas)'' (Ehrenberg, 1834) Ehrenberg, 1838 * ''[Frontonia longaria](/source/Frontonia_longaria)'' Dumas, 1930 * ''[Frontonia lurida Blochmann](/source/Frontonia_lurida_Blochmann)'', 1895 * ''[Frontonia lynni](/source/Frontonia_lynni)'' Long, Song, Gong, Hu, Ma, Zhu & Wang, 2005 * ''[Frontonia macrostoma](/source/Frontonia_macrostoma)'' Srámek-Husek, 1957 * ''[Frontonia magnistoma](/source/Frontonia_magnistoma)'' Foissner, 1987 * ''[Frontonia marina](/source/Frontonia_marina)'' Fabre-Domergue, 1891 * ''[Frontonia marisalbi](/source/Frontonia_marisalbi)'' Burkovsky, 1970 * ''[Frontonia microstoma](/source/Frontonia_microstoma)'' Kahl, 1931 * ''[Frontonia minuta](/source/Frontonia_minuta)'' Dragesco, 1970 * ''[Frontonia multinucleata](/source/Frontonia_multinucleata)'' Long, Song, AL-Rasheid, Wang, Yi, Al-Quraishy, Lin & AL-Farraj, 2008 * ''[Frontonia nassuloides](/source/Frontonia_nassuloides)'' Lepsi, 1926 * ''[Frontonia nigricans](/source/Frontonia_nigricans)'' Penard, 1922 * ''[Frontonia obtusa](/source/Frontonia_obtusa)'' * ''[Frontonia ocularis](/source/Frontonia_ocularis)'' Bullington, 1940 * ''[Frontonia ovalis](/source/Frontonia_ovalis)'' Fromentel, 1876 * ''[Frontonia parameciiformis](/source/Frontonia_parameciiformis)'' Wenzel, 1953 * ''[Frontonia parva](/source/Frontonia_parva)'' Fromentel, 1876 * ''[Frontonia parvula](/source/Frontonia_parvula)'' Penard, 1922 * ''[Frontonia perna](/source/Frontonia_perna)'' Fromentel, 1876 * ''[Frontonia piriformis](/source/Frontonia_piriformis)'' Dumas, 1930 * ''[Frontonia roqueae](/source/Frontonia_roqueae)'' Dragesco, 1970 * ''[Frontonia rostrata](/source/Frontonia_rostrata)'' Fromentel, 1876 * ''[Frontonia rotunda](/source/Frontonia_rotunda)'' Gelei, 1954 * ''[Frontonia salmastra](/source/Frontonia_salmastra)'' Dragesco & Dragesco-Kernéis, 1986 * ''[Frontonia schaeferi Bullington](/source/Frontonia_schaeferi_Bullington)'', 1940 * ''[Frontonia solea Foissner](/source/Frontonia_solea_Foissner)'', 1987 * ''[Frontonia tanganyikae](/source/Frontonia_tanganyikae)'' Dragesco & Dragesco-Kernéis, 1991 * ''[Frontonia subtropica](/source/Frontonia_subtropica)'' * ''[Frontonia tchibisovae](/source/Frontonia_tchibisovae)'' Burkovsky, 1970 * ''[Frontonia terricola](/source/Frontonia_terricola)'' Foissner, 1987 * ''[Frontonia undulata](/source/Frontonia_undulata)'' Dumas, 1929 * ''[Frontonia vacuolata](/source/Frontonia_vacuolata)'' Dragesco, 1960 * ''[Frontonia vernalis](/source/Frontonia_vernalis)'' (Ehrenberg, 1834) Kahl, 1931 * ''[Frontonia vesiculosa](/source/Frontonia_vesiculosa)'' Cunha, 1913 }} ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q5506111}} Category:Oligohymenophorea Category:Ciliate genera Category:Taxa named by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg Category:Articles containing video clips --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Frontonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontonia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontonia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.