Diversity and Distribution of Peritrich Ciliates on the Snail Draparnaud, 1805 (Gastropoda: Physidae) in a Eutrophic Lotic System.

Freshwater gastropods represent good models for the investigation of epibiotic relationships because their shells act as hard substrates, offering a range of microhabitats that peritrich ciliates can occupy. In the present study we analyzed the community composition and structure of peritrich epibionts on the basibiont freshwater gastropod . We also investigated the spatial distribution of these ciliates on the shells of the basibionts, assuming the premise that the shell is a topologically complex substrate.