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The subclass Cyrtophoria is a group of morphologically specialized ciliates with diverse characteristics, which can be found in a variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats. In the present study, two cyrtophorian ciliates, Aegyria oliva Claparède & Lachmann, 1859 and A. peculiaris sp. nov., isolated from coastal waters of China, were investigated based on microscopic observations of live and protargol-stained specimens, and SSU rRNA gene sequence analyses. For A. oliva, the type species of the genus, detailed morphometric data, and improved diagnosis are provided. The new species, Aegyria peculiaris sp. nov. is characterized by a body size of 70–115 × 30–65 μm in vivo, an inverted oval body shape with a protrusion at the anterior left and a posterior bulge on the dorsal side, 45–58 somatic kineties, 31–46 nematodesmal rods, 4–6 transpodial segments, and about six contractile vacuoles. Phylogenetic analyses unveiled a close relationship between the newly identified species and A. foissneri, thereby confirming the monophyly of the genus Aegyria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periphytic ciliates play a vital role in the material cycle and energy flow of microbial food web, however, their taxonomy and biodiversity are inadequately studied given their high species richness. Two new and one little known species, viz. Derouxella lembodes gen. et sp. nov., Cyrtophoron multivacuolatum sp. nov., and Cyrtophoron apsheronica Aliev, 1991, collected from coastal waters of China, were investigated using modern methods. Derouxella gen. nov. can be recognized by having dorsoventrally flattened body, a podite, one fragmented preoral kinety, two parallel circumoral kineties, and somatic kineties progressively shortened from right to left. Morphological classification and phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear small subunit ribosomal RNA (nSSU rRNA) and mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal RNA (mtSSU rRNA) gene sequence data inferred that Derouxella gen. nov. occupies an intermediate position between Hartmannulidae and Dysteriidae. Cyrtophoron multivacuolatum sp. nov. is characterized by large body size, the numbers of somatic kineties and nematodesmal rods, and having numerous contractile vacuoles. The genus Cyrtophoron and the poorly known species C. apsheronica were redefined. Even with the addition of newly obtained nSSU rRNA and mtSSU rRNA gene sequences of Cyrtophoron, the family Chlamydodontidae was still recovered as a monophyletic group, the monophyly of Cyrtophoron was supported too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostomateans, as common inhabitants in diverse aquatic environments, are among the simplest ciliate lineages, and serve as trophic links in food webs. However, only a few members are well-known and thoroughly studied, and the diversity of this group remains elusive. The unique genus Plagiocampa has a long history of research, but few studies have been performed using up-to-date methods. In the present work, Plagiocampa longis Kahl, 1927 and Plagiocampa minima Kahl, 1927, collected from Chinese coastal habitats, were investigated based on microscopical observation, protargol staining, and SSU rRNA gene sequencing. Their ciliature and morphometric data as well as gene sequences are documented. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the family Plagiocampidae is likely monophyletic and has a closer relationship with parasitic Cryptocaryon., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Ciliates of the class Plagiopylea play a vital role in various anaerobic environments as consumers of prokaryotes. Yet, the diversity and phylogeny of this group of ciliates, especially marine representatives, remain poorly known. In this study, three Parasonderia species, viz., Parasonderia elongata spec. nov., and the already known P. cyclostoma and P. vestita , discovered in anaerobic sediments from various intertidal zones in China, were investigated based on their living morphology, infraciliature, and small subunit ribosomal rRNA gene sequences. Parasonderia elongata can be recognized by its larger body size, elongated body shape, oval oral opening, number of oral kineties, and significantly shortened leftmost postbuccal polykineties on the cell surface. Improved diagnosis and redescription of P. cyclostoma is provided for the first time, including data on infraciliature and molecular sequence. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the three species cluster together and with the sequence of a Chinese population of P. vestita already present in the GenBank database, forming a robust clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Heterotrichea Stein, 1859 are a group of ciliated protists (single-celled eukaryotes) that occur in a wide variety of aquatic habitat where they play important roles in the flow of nutrients and energy within the microbial food web. Many species are model organisms for research in cytology and regenerative biology. In the present study, the morphology and phylogeny of two heterotrich ciliates, namely, Linostomella pseudovorticella n. sp. and Peritromus kahli Villeneuve-Brachon, 1940, collected from subtropical wetlands of China, were investigated using morphological and molecular methods. L. pseudovorticella n. sp. differs from its only known congener, Linostomella vorticella Ehrenberg, 1833 Aescht in Foissner et al., 1999, by having more ciliary rows (48–67, mean about 56 vs. 26–51, mean about 42) and its small-subunit (SSU) rDNA sequence, which shows a 15-bp divergence. Although P. kahli has been reported several times in recent decades, its infraciliature has yet to be described. A redescription and improved diagnosis of this species based on a combination of previous and present data are here supplied. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA sequences revealed that the genus Linostomella is positioned within Condylostomatidae, and Peritromidae is sister to Climacostomidae with relatively low support, and the family Spirostomidae is the root branch of the class Heterotrichea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphology and phylogeny of two new sessilid species, Zoothamnium weishanicum n. sp. and Epicarchesium sinense n. sp., two insufficiently known species, Zoothamnium arbuscula Ehrenberg, 1831 and Zoothamnium hentscheli Kahl, 1935, and a well-known species, Carchesium polypinum (Linnaeus, 1767) Ehrenberg, 1838, collected from freshwater habitats of China, were investigated. Zoothamnium weishanicum n. sp. is characterized by its inverted bell-shaped zooids, double-layered peristomial lip, alternately branched stalk, and two different-length rows in infundibular polykinety 3 (P3). Epicarchesium sinense n. sp. is recognized by its asymmetric-pyriform zooids, single-layered peristomial lip, conspicuous cortical blisters on the pellicle, dichotomously branched stalk, and P3 containing one short inner row and two long outer rows. Based on previous and newly obtained data of the three known species, improved diagnoses and redescriptions are provided including, for the first time, data on the infraciliature of Z. arbuscula and Z. hentscheli. In addition, we analyzed the phylogeny of each species based on SSU rDNA sequence data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the morphology and molecular characteristics of three interesting free-living cyrtophorid ciliates, including two new species, isolated from China: Chilodonella parauncinata sp. n. can be identified by its elongated body shape, with a sharp protrusion in the left anterior part, cell size ca. 60 × 25 μm in vivo, five right and 6-7 left kineties with kinetosomes densely arranged, and a curved cyrtos. Chlamydonella irregularis sp. n. differs from its congeners by the oval body shape, cell size 50-60 × 25-40 μm in vivo, irregular shape of macronucleus, 30-40 club-shaped ventral protuberances, and 17 somatic kineties. Two isolates of Chlamydonella derouxi Song, 2003, collected from an intertidal area in Shandong and a mangrove wetland in Guangdong respectively, correspond well with two previous descriptions, but differ in comprising more basal bodies in left and right equatorial fragments and in having more finger-like protuberances on the ventral side. Phylogenetic analyses based on the small subunit r RNA gene sequences showed that C. parauncinata sp. n. clustered with Chilodonella uncinata, but was a well-outlined species of the genus, and C. irregularis sp. n. and C. derouxi grouped in the family Lynchellidae with their congeners to form the monophyletic genus Chlamydonella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new and one problematic species of pleurostomatids, Amphileptus dragescoi sp. n., A. wilberti sp. n., and A. marinus from coastal areas of the South China Sea, are described based on observations of live and protargol-impregnated specimens. Amphileptus dragescoi is different from its congeners by the presence of an apical group of extrusomes and the possession of 12-15 right and five left somatic kineties, two macronuclear nodules, and a single terminally positioned contractile vacuole. Amphileptus wilberti is diagnosed by oval or pyriform body, 15-19 right and seven or eight left somatic kineties, extrusomes arranged only in anterior portion of oral slit, usually three ventrally located contractile vacuoles, and two macronuclear nodules. Amphileptus marinus (Kahl, 1931) Song et al., 2004 is redescribed and its diagnosis is improved. One isolate which was misidentified as A. marinus by Song et al. (2004) is believed to represent an unknown form, named here as Amphileptus songi sp. n. Phylogenetic analyses of the SSU r DNA sequences indicate that the genus Amphileptus is paraphyletic, but its monophyly is not rejected by statistical tree topology tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigate the living morphology, infraciliature, and small subunit rRNA gene sequences of two poorly known marine euplotids, Aspidisca fuscaKahl, 1928 and A. hexerisQuennerstedt, 1869, isolated from intertidal sewage outfall, northern China and sandy sediments, southern China, respectively. Improved diagnoses and morphometric data are provided for both species. Aspidisca fusca is characterized by having a peristomial spur, seven frontoventral cirri in a “polystyla-arrangement”, and two oval macronuclear nodules. Aspidisca hexeris can be recognized by having an elliptical body shape, a peristomial spur, seven membranelles in the anterior portion of adoral zone and 11–13 in the posterior part, as well as seven frontoventral cirri arranged in two oblique rows. In addition, the presence and degree of projections along the left margin of A. hexeris are highly variable among populations. Phylogenetic analyses based on small subunit rRNA gene sequence data support the validity of both A. hexeris and A. fusca as distinct species, and indicate that A. fusca is most closely related to A. aculeata and A. steini, whereas A. hexeris shows a close relationship with A. magna. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The small subunit ribosomal RNA genes of nine species belonging to six genera of litostome ciliates, namely Amphileptus aeschtae, Chaenea teres, Chaenea vorax, Lacrymaria marina, Litonotus paracygnus, Loxophyllum sp.-GD-070419, Loxophyllum jini, Loxophyllum rostratum, and Phialina salinarum, were sequenced for the first time. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using different methods to assess the inter- and intra-generic relationships of haptorians, of which Chaenea, Lacrymaria, Litonotus, and Phialina were analyzed for the first time based on molecular data. Monophyly of the order Pleurostomatida was strongly confirmed, and the two existing families of pleurostomatids, created on the basis of morphology, were confirmed by molecular evidence. Within the Pleurostomatida, Siroloxophyllum utriculariae occupied a well-supported position basal to the Loxophyllum clade, supporting the separation of these genera from one another. Both the subclass Haptoria and the order Haptorida were partially unresolved, possibly paraphyletic assemblages of taxa in all analyses, creating doubts about the traditional placement of some haptorid taxa. The existing sequence of L. rostratum in GenBank (DQ411864) was conspicuously different from that of the isolate from Qingdao, China sequenced in the present work, indicating that they are different species. The isolate from Qingdao was verified as L. rostratum by morphological analysis, and the published morphology of existing GenBank record of L. rostratum is different from it. Based on both morphological and molecular evidence, the latter may be congeneric with an undescribed species of Loxophyllum from Guangdong Province, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphology and molecular phylogeny of Plagiopyla ovata Kahl, 1931, a poorly known anaerobic ciliate, were investigated based on a population isolated from sand samples collected from the Yellow Sea coast at Qingdao, PR China. Details of the oral ciliature are documented for the first time to our knowledge and an improved species diagnosis is given. The small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene was newly sequenced and phylogenetic analyses revealed that P. ovata clusters within the monophyletic family Plagiopylidae. However, evolutionary relationships within both the family Plagiopylidae and the genus Plagiopyla remain obscure owing to undersampling, the lack of sequence data from known species and low nodal support or unstable topologies in gene trees. A key to the identification of the species of the genus Plagiopyla with validly published names is also supplied.

The morphology, infraciliature, and silverline system of two peritrich ciliates, Pseudovorticella littoralis sp. n. and P. alani sp. n., isolated from coastal waters of southern China, were investigated based on both living and silver-stained specimens. Pseudovorticella littoralis sp. n. is characterized by the following combination of characters: cell inverted cone-shaped; contractile vacuole ventral; J-shaped macronucleus; infundibular polykinety 3 with two kinetosome rows of equal length; 19–26 silverlines from peristome to trochal band and 5–14 from trochal band to scopula. Pseudovorticella alani sp. n. is characterized by: cell inverted bell-shaped; contractile vacuole ventral; J-shaped macronucleus recurved almost forming a loop; infundibular polykinety 3 with three kinetosome rows, outer two rows longer than inner one; 48–61 silverlines between peristome and aboral trochal band, and 12–20 between aboral trochal band and scopula. The SSU rDNA sequences of both new species are reported and their genetic distances with congeners and phylogenetic relationships are investigated. Pseudovorticella and Epicarchesium cluster into two subclades with low support values. One subclade contains nearly all the available sequences of Pseudovorticella and Epicarchesium. Another one contains P. monilata and E. pectinatum. This calls on the need of a generic re-classification of Pseudovorticella and Epicarchesium based on more morphological and molecular data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the living morphology, infraciliature, and small subunit rRNA gene sequences of two poorly known marine euplotids, Aspidisca fuscaKahl, 1928 and A. hexerisQuennerstedt, 1869, isolated from intertidal sewage outfall, northern China and sandy sediments, southern China, respectively. Improved diagnoses and morphometric data are provided for both species. Aspidisca fusca is characterized by having a peristomial spur, seven frontoventral cirri in a "polystyla-arrangement", and two oval macronuclear nodules. Aspidisca hexeris can be recognized by having an elliptical body shape, a peristomial spur, seven membranelles in the anterior portion of adoral zone and 11-13 in the posterior part, as well as seven frontoventral cirri arranged in two oblique rows. In addition, the presence and degree of projections along the left margin of A. hexeris are highly variable among populations. Phylogenetic analyses based on small subunit rRNA gene sequence data support the validity of both A. hexeris and A. fusca as distinct species, and indicate that A. fusca is most closely related to A. aculeata and A. steini, whereas A. hexeris shows a close relationship with A. magna., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)