Abstract:
During a study on the diversity of ciliated protists in Lake Weishan Wetland, the largest wetland in northern China, four epibiotic sessilid peritrichs were isolated from aquatic host animals. Two of them, i.e.,
Epistylis cambari Kellicott, 1885 and
Epistylis lwoffi Fauré-Fremiet, 1943, were known species whereas the other two, i.e.,
Parapiosoma typicum gen. nov., sp. nov. and
Orborhabdostyla gracilis sp. nov., are new to science. The new genus
Parapiosoma gen. nov. is characterized by its branched non-contractile stalk, everted peristomial lip, obconical macronucleus and transverse silverlines. Two species are assigned to the new genus, namely
Parapiosoma typicum sp. nov. and
Parapiosoma gasterostei (Fauré-Fremiet,
1905) comb. nov. Morphologically,
P. typicum sp. nov. is recognized by its goblet-shaped zooids, single-layered peristomial lip, dichotomously branched stalk, and infundibular polykinety 3 (P3) containing three equal-length rows.
Orborhabdostyla gracilis sp. nov. is characterized by its slender zooid, curved macronucleus, and three equal-length rows in infundibular P3. Improved diagnoses and redescriptions of
E. cambari and
E. lwoffi are provided including, for the first time, data on the ciliature of
E. cambari. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA, ITS1-5.8S rDNA -ITS2, and LSU rDNA sequence data strongly support the assertion that the family Epistylididae comprises morphospecies with different evolutionary lineages and indicate that
Parapiosoma gen. nov. may represent a new taxon at family level.