Incorporating mitogenome sequencing into integrative taxonomy: The multidisciplinary redescription of the ciliate Thuricola similis (Peritrichia, Vaginicolidae) provides new insights into the evolutionary relationships among Oligohymenophorea subclasses.

The evolutionary relationships among Oligohymenophorea subclasses are under debate as the phylogenomic analysis using a large dataset of nuclear coding genes is significantly different to the 18S rDNA phylogeny, and it is unfortunately not stable within and across different published studies. In addition to nuclear genes, the faster-evolving mitochondrial genes have also shown the ability to solve phylogenetic problems in many ciliated taxa. However, due to the paucity of mitochondrial data, the corresponding work is scarce, let alone the phylogenomic analysis based on mitochondrial gene dataset.

Ciliates as bioindicators of water quality: A case study in the neotropical region and evidence of phylogenetic signals (18S-rDNA).

The aim of our study was to evaluate the water quality of an urban stream in southeastern Brazil by analyzing epibenthic ciliates, and to investigate the existence of phylogenetic signal for saprobity in ciliates. However, before conducting this type of phylogenetic study, it is necessary to evaluate if the saprobic classification used frequently in the northern Hemisphere is suitable for neotropical ecosystems. Sediment samples were collected from five sampling stations: two in rural areas and three in urban areas.

Discomorphella pedroeneasi sp. nov. (Ciliophora, Odontostomatida): An anaerobic ciliate hosting multiple cytoplasmic and macronuclear endocytobionts.

Odontostomatids are among the less studied representatives of the Ciliophora. They are anaerobic microeukaryotes usually occurring as rare species in sapropelic environments. Here we describe a novel species of Discomorphella, named Discomorphella pedroeneasi sp.

Description and Phylogeny of Urostyla grandis wiackowskii subsp. nov. (Ciliophora, Hypotricha) from an Estuarine Mangrove in Brazil.

Interphase specimens, aspects of physiological reorganization and divisional morphogenesis were investigated in a strain of a hypotrichous ciliate highly similar to Urostyla grandis Ehrenberg, (type species of Urostyla), collected from a mangrove area in the estuary of the Paraíba do Sul river (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The results revealed that albeit interphase specimens match with the known morphologic variability in U. grandis, morphogenetic processes have conspicuous differences.

Fine Structure and Molecular Phylogeny of Parametopidium circumlabens (Ciliophora: Armophorea), Endocommensal of Sea Urchins.

Metopid armophoreans are ciliates commonly found in anaerobic environments worldwide; however, very little is known of their fine structure. In this study, the metopid Parametopidium circumlabens (Biggar and Wenrich 1932) Aescht, 1980, a common endocommensal of sea urchins, is investigated for the first time with emphasis on transmission electron microscopy, revealing several previously unknown elements of its morphology. Somatic dikinetids of P.

Redescription of the Little-known Ciliate Apoamphisiella vernalis (Stokes, 1887) Berger, 2006 (Ciliophora, Hypotricha) from the Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Apoamphisiella Foissner, 1997 is a genus of hypotrichous ciliates reported to occur in various locations in the world, but that seems particularly widespread in the Americas. In this study, the first record of Apoamphisiella vernalis for Brazil is presented based on a population from the Atlantic Forest of the Minas Gerais state. A redescription of A.

Morphology and phylogenetic position of an unusual Stentor polymorphus (Ciliophora: Heterotrichea) without symbiotic algae.

We investigated the live morphology, infraciliature, and small subunit rRNA gene sequences of an unusual population of Stentor polymorphus without symbiotic algae that was isolated from the southeastern region of Brazil. The morphological and molecular data confirmed the identity of this strain as S. polymorphus.

Phylogenetic study of Class Armophorea (Alveolata, Ciliophora) based on 18S-rDNA data.

The 18S rDNA phylogeny of Class Armophorea, a group of anaerobic ciliates, is proposed based on an analysis of 44 sequences (out of 195) retrieved from the NCBI/GenBank database. Emphasis was placed on the use of two nucleotide alignment criteria that involved variation in the gap-opening and gap-extension parameters and the use of rRNA secondary structure to orientate multiple-alignment. A sensitivity analysis of 76 data sets was run to assess the effect of variations in indel parameters on tree topologies.

Morphology and 18S rDNA gene sequence of Blepharisma sinuosum Sawaya, 1940 (Ciliophora: Heterotrichea) from Brazil.

The morphology and morphometric data of seven populations of Blepharisma sinuosum from southeastern Brazil were investigated. The description is based on live observations, protargol impregnation, and scanning electron microscopy. Blepharisma sinuosum measures 75-255μm in length and 25-93μm in width and has a spindle-shaped body, pink color, a single contractile vacuole located at the posterior end, 50 adoral membranelles, a conspicuous paroral, 17-35 somatic kineties, a moniliform macronucleus with 2-7 connected nodules, and 3-20 micronuclei.

Redescription of Licnophora chattoni Villeneuve-Brachon, 1939 (Ciliophora, Spirotrichea), associated with Zyzzyzus warreni Calder, 1988 (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa).

Licnophora chattoni, found in association with Zyzzyzus warreni, a tubulariid hydroid epizoic in sponges from São Sebastião (SP, Brazil), is redescribed and illustrated using light and electron microscopy. The ciliate has a flexible, transparent body formed by an oval anterior region linked to the posterior basal disc via a flexible neck region. Numerous cortical granules are observed scattered throughout the body and densely packed along the neck.

Morphology and 18S rDNA phylogeny of Hemicycliostyla sphagni (Ciliophora, Hypotricha) from Brazil with redefinition of the genus Hemicycliostyla.

Morphology of the urostylid ciliate Hemicycliostyla sphagni Stokes, 1886, the type of Hemicycliostyla Stokes, 1886, is investigated based on live and protargol-impregnated specimens from a Brazilian population. The absence of transverse cirri, which has been considered the main diagnostic feature of Hemicycliostyla, separating it from Pseudourostyla Borror, 1972, was found to vary within the studied population, with 50% of the specimens exhibiting inconspicuous and/or rudimentary transverse cirri. A redefinition of Hemicycliostyla was possible based on combined features of interphase and divisional morphogenesis: Retroextendia Berger, 2006, with bi- or multicoronal frontal cirral pattern; fronto-terminal cirri present; multiple left and right marginal cirral rows that replicate independently via within-row development, each parental row producing one primordium per divider; caudal cirri lacking; and presence/absence of transverse cirri may be intrapopulationally variable.

Occurrence of Trichodina heterodentata (Ciliophora: Trichodinidae) infesting tadpoles of Rhinella pombali (Anura: Bufonidae) in the Neotropical area.

Data on trichodinid ciliophorans in Brazil are scarce and generally do not use the modern silver-impregnation technique, which is essential to the taxonomy of the group. The present study reports not only on the first occurrence of Trichodina heterodentata in Brazil but also on the first record of this trichodinid infesting tadpoles of the species Rhinella pombali. This study also constitutes a second report on T.

Morphology and divisional morphogenesis of Nudiamphisiella interrupta Foissner, Agatha & Berger, 2002 (Ciliophora: Stichotrichia) based on a Brazilian strain.

The morphology and divisional morphogenesis of a Brazilian strain of Nudiamphisiella interrupta were characterized. The organisms were investigated after protargol impregnation. Interphase cells of N.

Description of a mirror-image doublet from a Brazilian strain of Gastrostyla setifera (Engelmann, 1862) Kent, 1882 (Ciliophora: Stichotrichia).

The present work describes a mirror-image doublet morph found in a Brazilian strain of the stichotrich ciliate Gastrostyla setifera (Engelmann, 1862) Kent, 1882, obtained from a sample of water and sediment from an urban freshwater stream in the city of Juiz de Fora (Minas Gerais, Brazil). The doublet measured 63 x 49 microm, and had two components where the right one has upside-down arranged adoral membranelles with a set of small oblique membranelles at its proximal (posterior) end. The fronto-ventral-transverse ciliature comprised 34 cirri, mostly related to the left component, as well as two marginal rows.