title: High cryptic soil ciliate (Ciliophora, Hypotrichida) diversity in Australia.
abstract: The diversity and distribution of soil ciliates from Australia is poorly known. Thus, we studied eight taxa, using the non-flooded Petri dish culture method, live observation, silver impregnation, detailed morphometrics, ontogenesis, and reinvestigation of type slides. At first glance, the Australian taxa looked very similar to described species, however, detailed investigations resulted in the identification of six cryptic species: Afroamphisiella multinucleata minima nov. subspec., Cladotricha similis nov. spec., Erimophrya similis nov. spec., Heterogonostomum salinarum nov. gen., nov. spec., Pseudohemisincirra arabica australiensis nov. subspec., and Pattersoniella (Pattersoniellides) australiensis nov. subgen., nov. spec. This new subgenus is unique among all described hypotrichs in having reduced some anterior paroral dikinetids the fibrillar associates of which are, however, still present. Only two of the eight taxa are possibly cosmopolitans: Apourosomoida halophilaFoissner et al., 2002 and Urosoma karinaeFoissner, 1987. This supports the moderate endemicity model, i.e., that a third of protists have a restricted distribution (Foissner, Chao and Katz 2008).
authors: Universität Salzburg, FB Organismische Biologie, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors: Santosh
authors: S
authors: Kumar
authors: Universität Salzburg, FB Organismische Biologie, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria. Electronic address: wilhelm.foissner@sbg.ac.at.
authors: Wilhelm
authors: W
authors: Foissner
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D044822:Biodiversity; D016810:Hypotrichida / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: Biogeography; Cryptic species; Endemicity; Ontogenesis; Saline habitats