Hidden life cycle stages of the trypanosomatid Blastocrithidia triatomae Cerisola et al. 1971 (Protista: Excavata: Kinetoplastea) unveiled by a new cultivation method.

Blastocrithidia triatomae is a monoxenic trypanosomatid parasite of triatomines, sharing the same insect vectors with Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 and T. rangeli Tejera, 1920. It is known to cause a complex syndrome in insects which induces severe metabolic disorders and increasing in mortality rates.

Investigating non-fungal eukaryotic diversity in snow in the Antarctic Peninsula region using DNA metabarcoding.

Snow is a unique microhabitat, despite being a harsh environment, multiple life forms have adapted to survive in it. While algae, bacteria and fungi are dominant microorganisms in Antarctic snow, little is known about other organisms that may be present in this habitat. We used metabarcoding to investigate DNA sequence diversity of non-fungal eukaryotes present in snow obtained from six different sites across the Maritime Antarctica.

A putatively extinct higher taxon of Spirotrichea (Ciliophora) from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil.

Fossil microeukaryotes are key elements for understanding ancient ecosystems at microscopic level and improving the knowledge on the diversification of microbial life as a whole. We describe Palaeohypothrix bahiensis gen. et sp.

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.

Systematic Redefinition of the Hypotricha (Alveolata, Ciliophora) Based on Combined Analyses of Morphological and Molecular Characters.

The systematics of Hypotricha is one of the most puzzling problems in ciliate biology, having spanned numerous conflicting hypotheses with unstable relationships at various levels in molecular trees, for which the constant addition of newly discovered species has only increased the confusion. The hypotrichs comprise a remarkable morphologically diversified group of ciliates, and the phylogenetic potential of morphological traits is generally recognized. However, such characters were rarely used in phylogenetic reconstructions, and congruence with molecular data never assessed from simultaneous analyses.

A new oligotrich (Ciliophora, Oligotrichia) from Argentina, with redefinition of Novistrombidium Song and Bradbury.

A new oligotrich similar to Novistrombidium was discovered in plankton samples from an artificial tributary of the Salado River, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, in summer 2010. Propecingulum fistoleramalliei sp. n.

Evaluating the role of morphological characters in the phylogeny of some trypanosomatid genera (Excavata, Kinetoplastea, Trypanosomatida).

Over the last three decades, it has been progressively assumed that morphology has become obsolete for trypanosomatid systematics. Traditional taxonomy, based on the occurrence of specific kinds of cell morphotypes during life cycles and the morphometry of such cells, is often rejected by molecular phylogenies inferred mostly from 18S rDNA alone or combined with GAPDH. In such context, we hypothesized the affinities of 35 representatives of seven trypanosomatid genera from separated and combined cladistics analyses of morphological and 18S matrices.

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.

Ontogeny and Molecular Phylogeny of Apoamphisiella vernalis Reveal Unclear Separation between Genera Apoamphisiella and Paraurostyla (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Hypotricha).

Morphology and divisional morphogenesis of the hypotrich ciliate Apoamphisiella vernalis are investigated based on two populations from Brazil. Typical specimens of A. vernalis replicates its ventral ciliature from six fronto-ventral-transverse (FVT) anlagen independently formed for proter and opisthe, plus one or more short anlagen located between IV and V, which form surplus transverse cirri.

Expanded phylogenetic analyses of the class Heterotrichea (Ciliophora, Postciliodesmatophora) using five molecular markers and morphological data.

Most studies of the molecular evolution of Heterotrichea have been based solely on the 18S-rDNA gene, which were inconsistent with morphological classification. Because of the limitations of single locus phylogenies and the recurring problem of lack of resolution of deeper nodes found in previous studies, we present hypotheses of the evolution of internal groups of the class Heterotrichea based on multi-loci analyses (18S-rDNA, 28S-rDNA, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region, COI and alpha-tubulin) and morphological data.

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.

Ciliates from eutrophized water in the northern Brazil and morphology of Cristigera hammeri Wilbert, 1986 (Ciliophora, Scuticociliatia).

Ciliates occur in all major aquatic and soil environments worldwide and are important links in the microbial food webs, which, along with other free-living protists, are generally overlooked in biodiversity conservation programs. In Brazil, the northern region comprises the Brazilian Amazonia, an area widely known for its huge biodiversity. However, the diversity of ciliates in that region is still almost unknown.

Description and phylogeny of Tetrakeronopsis silvanetoi gen. nov., sp. nov. (Hypotricha, Pseudokeronopsidae), a new benthic marine ciliate from Brazil.

Pseudokeronopsidae Borror & Wicklow, 1983 are biotechnologically important ciliate protists which produce toxic defense substances; however, their diversity is still little known in Brazil. In the present study, Tetrakeronopsis silvanetoi, a new genus and species of marine pseudokeronopsid hypotrichs is described from samples of water with bottom sediment collected from the coast of São Paulo state. Its phylogenetic affinities to the "core urostyloids" are hypothesized based on analyses of the 18S-rDNA marker, and a new subfamily, the Nothoholostichinae subfam.

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.

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.

An Antarctic hypotrichous ciliate, Parasterkiella thompsoni (Foissner) nov. gen., nov. comb., recorded in Argentinean peat-bogs: morphology, morphogenesis, and molecular phylogeny.

The ciliate Parasterkiella thompsoni (Foissner, 1996) nov. gen., nov.

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.

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.