title: Updating Biodiversity Studies in Loricate Protists: The Case of the Tintinnids (Alveolata, Ciliophora, Spirotrichea).
abstract: Species determination is crucial in biodiversity research. In tintinnids, identification is based almost exclusively on the lorica, despite its frequent intraspecific variability and interspecific similarity. We suggest updated procedures for identification and, depending on the aim of the study, further steps to obtain morphological, molecular, and ecological data. Our goal is to help improving the collection of information (e.g. species re-/descriptions and DNA barcodes) that is essential for generating a natural tintinnid classification and a reliable reference for environmental surveys. These suggestions are broadly useful for protistologists because they exemplify data integration, quality/effort compromise, and the need for scientific collaborations.
authors: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, 06340, USA.
authors: Luciana F
authors: LF
authors: Santoferrara
authors: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California, 95039, USA.
authors: Charles
authors: C
authors: Bachy
authors: Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (UBA-CONICET) y Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1428EHA, Argentina.|Instituto Antártico Argentino, Dirección Nacional del Antártico, Buenos Aires, C1010AAZ, Argentina.
authors: Viviana A
authors: VA
authors: Alder
authors: Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003, China.
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Gong
authors: South Sea Environment Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Geoje, 656-834, Korea.
authors: Young-Ok
authors: YO
authors: Kim
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Messina, Messina, 98166, Italy.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Saccà
authors: Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-590, Brazil.
authors: Inácio D
authors: ID
authors: da Silva Neto
authors: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada.
authors: Michaela C
authors: MC
authors: Strüder-Kypke
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW75BD, United Kingdom.
authors: Alan
authors: A
authors: Warren
authors: State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences, Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
authors: Dapeng
authors: D
authors: Xu
authors: School of Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
authors: Zhenzhen
authors: Z
authors: Yi
authors: Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, A-5020, Austria.
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Agatha
mesh_terms: D056893:Alveolata / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002965:Classification; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004463:Ecology; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan
keywords: DNA barcoding; ciliates; ecology; morphology; phylogeny; taxonomy