A new species of the genus Metacystis (Ciliophora, Prostomatida, Metacystidae) from a wastewater treatment plant.
Unusual prostomatid specimens were found in the biological reactor of a wastewater treatment plant in a health resort in Valencia, Spain. These ciliates were attached to flocs unlike other free-swimming prostomatid ciliates described to date in the mixed liquor of activated sludge plants. The morphological study of this species led to a typically different combination of characteristics: elongated cell shape, 20-30 somatic kineties, 2 perioral kineties, and 1 circumoral kinety, 1 large vacuole protruding at the terminal end, a lorica tapered toward the aperture with a smooth neck, and 11-16 annular ridges. These characteristics place this representative as a new species of the genus Metacystis-Metacystis galiani n. sp. This species became the dominant population within the biological reactor when high values of conductivity (4,244 mS/cm) and temperature (26.8 degrees C) were recorded.
Arregui
Lucía
L
Departamento de Microbiología III, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain. arregui@bio.ucm.es
Pérez-Uz
Blanca
B
Zornoza
Andrés
A
Serrano
Susana
S
D016798:Ciliophora / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis / Q000469:parasitology*; D013030:Spain; D018508:Water Purification
D012722:Sewage