title: Morphology of three new colonial sessile peritrich ciliates, Pseudepistylis paramphora n. sp., Zoothamnium paranii n. sp. and Z. hartwigi n. sp., with notes on Epicarchesium variabile (Ciliophora, Peritrichia).
abstract: Four colonial sessile peritrichs were discovered during a survey of ciliate diversity of coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, Shandong Province, China. Following studies of their living morphology, infraciliature and silverline system, three were identified as new members of the genera Pseudepistylis and Zoothamnium. Pseudepistylis paramphora n. sp. is the second species assigned to the genus, which is characterized by its rigid, dichotomously branched stalk, reticulate silverline system and marine habitat. Zoothamnium paranii n. sp. was isolated from brackish water and Z. hartwigi n. sp. was collected from marine water. Zoothamnium paranii is characterized largely by its highly variable zooid size and having an extremely long infundibular polykinety 3. Zoothamnium hartwigi is separated from its congeners by having two types both of peristomial lip and infundibular polykinety 3. We also supply supplementary morphometric data and photomicrographs of Epicarchesium variabile based on examinations of specimens in vivo and after silver staining.
authors: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Laboratory of Protozoology, Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
authors: Ping
authors: P
authors: Sun
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors: Alan
authors: A
authors: Warren
authors: Zoology Department, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Saleh A
authors: SA
authors: Al-Farraj
authors: Laboratory of Protozoology, Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China. Electronic address: wsong@ouc.edu.cn.
authors: Weibo
authors: W
authors: Song
mesh_terms: D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002681:China; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013045:Species Specificity
keywords: Colonial peritrichs; Epicarchesium; New species; Pseudepistylis; Taxonomy; Zoothamnium