Diversity Of Marine Cyrtophorid And Pleurostomatid Cliates In China Seas

Ciliophora (or ciliates) is a large group with probably the greatest diversity of cell structures among all eukaryotic microorganisms. Ciliates are cosmopolitan. In hydroecosystem, especially microbial food web, they occupy a core position between the producers - secondary consumers. Furthermore, they also play important roles in a number of fields, such as ecosystem function, disease of commercially important animals and sewage treatment processes, and as bioindicators of enviromental quality. Thousands of free-living ciliates have been reported in marine biotopes, but the majority of these are known only from living material or fixed specimens with no details of their infraciliature or silverline system. The overwhelming majority is in the status of half-known, confusion, or to be confirmed. These impede research work on ecological function, physiology and biochemistry.The Cyrtophorida and the Pleurostomatida belong to Phyllum Ciliophora, Class Kinetofragminophora, and members of both are typical periphytons. Their ciliature is relatively simple, but they are often very small, and share great similarities in body shape and size, so, up to date, they are the most confused groups in Ciliophora.With the support by the National Science Foundation of China, During the period between 2007 and 2010, faunistic investigations on diversity of pleurostomatids and cyrtophorids were carried on in the coast waters off Qingdao and Changyi, Shandong Province, and mangrove wetland in Guangdong Province. Totally 32 species belonging to 21 genera (including fifteen new species and sixteen new records) were collected and studied using modern methods (living observations, protargol impregnation and silver carbonate impregnation methods). The results of species identification and classification are summarized as follows:1. Two new genera are erected1) Heterohartmannula Pan et al. 2011 was established and classified into Cyrtophorida, Hartmannulidae, according to morphological characters. It was characterized: Dorso-ventrally flattened Hartmannulidae with a tail-shaped podite; two circumoral kineties distinctly detached, obliquely arranged in a line with fragmented preoral kinety.2) Aporthotrochilia Pan et al. 2011 belongs to Cyrtophorida, Hartmannulidae. Its diagnosis was: Dorso-ventrally compressed Cyrtophorida with a podite; oral kineties reduced to 2 fragments; several kinetal fragments positioned on the right posterior of frontoventral kineties; postoral kineties strongly shortened posteriad; terminal fragments consisting of several parallel arranged fragments.2. Accoding to Art. 13 of ICZN (1999), Trochilioides was a nomen nudum due to no original fixation of type species, and thus reestablished here. Trochilioides recta Kahl, 1928 was designated as type species.3. Fourteen new species namely Heterohartmannula fangi Pan et al. 2011, Orthotrochilia sinica nov. spec., Trochilia alveolata Pan et al. 2011, Chlamydodon caudatus nov. spec., Clamydodon salinus nov. spec., Chlamydodon paramnemosyne nov. spec., Pseudochilodonopsis alveolata nov. spec., Pseudochilodonopsis sinica nov. spec., Epiphyllum shenzhenense Pan et al. 2011, Litonotus tropicus nov. spec., Loxophyllum caudatum nov. spec., Loxophyllum rugosum nov. spec., Loxophyllum chinense nov. spec. and Loxophyllum spirellum Pan et al. 2010 were established.4. The infraciliature of 8 species was revealed for the first time and their neotypes have been established. These includs: Dysteria compressa (Gourret and Roeser, 1886) Kahl, 1931, Dysteria legumen (Dujardin, 1841) Kahl, 1931, Dysteria proraefrons James-Clark, 1866, Spirodysteria kahli (Tucolesco, 1962) Gong et al. 2007, Odontochlamys aplanata (Kahl, 1931) nov. comb., Litonotus niger Vuxanovici, 1960, Kentrophyllum setigerum (Quennerstedt, 1867) Petz, Song & Wilbert, 1995, Litonotus binucleatus Kahl, 19335. Based on careful live observation and infraciliature, phylogenetic positions of three species were revised: Aporthotrochilia pulex (Deroux, 1976) Pan et al. 2011, Odontochlamys aplanata nov. comb. [basinyom: Chilidonella aplanata Kahl, 1931], Apolitonotus antarcticus nov. comb. [basinyom: Litonotus antarcticus Song and Wilbert, 2002]. 6. Eight species were redescribed and their improved diagnoses were given based on Chinese population: Aporthotrochilia pulex (Deroux, 1976) Pan et al. 2011, Trochilioides tenuis (Deroux, 1976) nov. comb., Trochilioides recta (Kahl, 1928) nov. comb., Trochochilodon flavus Deroux, 1976, Pithites vorax Deroux & Dragesco, 1968, Mirodysteria decora Deroux, 1976, Hypocoma acinetarum Collin , 1907, Atopochilodon distichum Deroux, 1976, Apolitonotus antarcticus (Song and Wilbert, 2002) nov. comb.