title: Description of a New Freshwater Ciliate Epistylis wuhanensis n. sp. (Ciliophora, Peritrichia) from China, with a Focus on Phylogenetic Relationships within Family Epistylididae.
abstract: Two populations of Epistylis wuhanensis n. sp., a new freshwater peritrich ciliate, were isolated from different freshwater ponds located in Hubei, China. Their morphological characteristics were investigated using live observation, protargol impregnation, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Specimens from the two populations showed identical arrangement of the infraciliature and identical small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences. The zooids present bell-shaped and 90-175 × 27-54 μm in vivo. Macronucleus is variable in shape and located in the middle of cell. Pellicle is usually smooth with 139-154 and 97-105 striations above and below the trochal band, respectively. SSU rRNA gene and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences of E. wuhanensis n. sp. did not match any available sequences in GenBank. Phylogenetically, E. wuhanensis n. sp. clusters with the other Epistylis within the family Epistylididae, but is distinct from the major clades of Epistylis. Above all, the morphological characteristics and molecular analyses support that the present Epistylis is a new species. Expanded phylogenetic analyses of sessilids based on both SSU rRNA gene sequences and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences reveal that the genus Epistylis consists of Epistylis morphospecies and taxonomic revision of the genus is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.|Freshwater Aquaculture Collaborative Innovation Center of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.|Freshwater Aquaculture Collaborative Innovation Center of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.|Freshwater Aquaculture Collaborative Innovation Center of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Qingxiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.|Freshwater Aquaculture Collaborative Innovation Center of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China.|Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Zemao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002397:Catfishes / Q000469:parasitology; D002681:China; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016770:Ciliophora Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000469:parasitology*; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D048648:Macronucleus; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D016802:Oligohymenophorea / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010802:Phylogeny; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012340:RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S / Q000235:genetics; D054679:Ribosome Subunits, Small / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D012340:RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S
keywords: Colonial peritrichs; ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequence; SSU rRNA gene sequence; morphology; new species; phylogenetic analyses