title: Morphology of Clapsiella magnifica gen. n., sp. n., a new hypotrichous ciliate with a curious dorsal ciliary pattern.
abstract: The present work describes the morphology and infraciliature of a new hypotrichous ciliate, Clapsiella magnifica gen. n., sp. n., found in rewetted soil from a temporal pond in Argentina. It was studied by means of live observation and protargol impregnation. Its main diagnostic features are: Flexible hypotrich measuring 250-320 μm × 70-140 μm in vivo; two macronuclear nodules and 4-6 micronuclei. Single contractile vacuole. Cytoplasm transparent, cortical granules absent. Somatic ciliature composed of a tricorona of cirri, three buccal(?) cirri, 6-9 ventral rows, 3-5 right marginal(?) rows, one left marginal row, and 12-17 transverse cirri. Dorsal pattern rather complicated, with about 14 kineties and kinety fragments, with scattered kinetids among them; 17-28 caudal cirri arranged in three rows on dorsal kineties 1, 3, and 7. Remarkably, dorsal kinetids have two or four basal bodies, bearing a stiff bristle arising from left anterior basal body. Adoral zone composed of 70-92 membranelles, occupying about 40% of body length in protargol preparations; paroral and endoral curved, resembling a cyrtohymenid pattern. The peculiar dorsal ciliary arrangement and the unique combination of other characters require the establishment of a new genus for this new species, which is considered incertae sedis in the Hypotricha but possibly related to the oxytrichids.
authors.affiliation: División Invertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, C1405DJR Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address: gkuppers@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar.
authors.forename: Gabriela Cristina
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Küppers
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina; D002923:Cilia / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000145:classification* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D061005:Ponds / Q000469:parasitology*; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: Argentina; Ciliophora; Freshwater; Hypotricha; Soil; Taxonomy