Description of a new marine cyrtophorid ciliate, Brooklynella sinensis n. sp. from the China Sea with a new definition of the genus Brooklynella (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Cyrtophorida)

Abstract

The morphology and infraciliature of the new marine ciliate, Brooklynella sinensis n. sp., collected from the coastal water off Qingdao, China, have been investigated using live observation and protargol impregnation method. The new species is characterized by: size 40–50 × 20–30 µm in vivo, body highly flattened, reniform to oval in outline; 15–17 ventral kineties, of which the rightmost three to four rows extend apically; five postoral kineties without cilia; about six nematodesmal rods; podite about 6 µm long; two contractile vacuoles diagonally positioned; freeliving, marine habitat. The new species can be distinguished from the type form B. hostilis Lom & Nigrelli, 1970 in having smaller body size, fewer somatic kineties and contractile vacuoles, and a distinct finger-like podite. Based on the present as well as previous work, an improved diagnosis for the genus Brooklynella is suggested: Hartmannulidae with a definitive podite, of which the base is located at posterior ventral portion of cell, but not surrounded by somatic kineties; postoral and left kineties considerably shorter than right ones, terminating at about the same level of post-equator rather than progressively posteriorly shortened. The characteristics of B. sinensis n. sp. namely the continuous ventral ciliature like hartmannulids and non-ciliated postoral kineties and the reduced number of nematodesmal rods like dysteriids, suggests it could be an intermediate form between families Hartmannulidae Poche, 1913 and Dysteriidae Claparède & Lachmann, 1859.