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Issue: Vol. 5821 No. 1: 28 May 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-05-28
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5821.1.8
Page range: 119-130
Abstract views: 19
PDF downloaded: 0

Loxophyllum clampi sp. nov., a new pleurostomatid ciliate (Protozoa, Ciliophora) from the Yellow River Delta, China

School of Ocean; Yantai University; Yantai 264005; China
School of Ocean; Yantai University; Yantai 264005; China
Laboratory of Marine Protozoan Biodiversity and Evolution; Marine College; Shandong University; Weihai 264209; China
School of Ocean; Yantai University; Yantai 264005; China
Protist Ciliates Pleurostomatida New species Yellow River Delta Morphology Phylogeny

Abstract

The taxonomy of Pleurostomatida, a classical and complex group of ciliates, remains to be fully clarified in certain respects. In this study, we conducted a biodiversity survey of ciliates in the Yellow River Delta Wetland, leading to the discovery and identification of a new species in the genus Loxophyllum based on integrative approaches including morphological observation, protargol staining, and SSU rDNA sequences comparisons. The new species is characterized by the following key features: right somatic kineties not forming a suture and gradually shortening along the perioral kinety; extrusomes distributed along both ventral and dorsal margins, clustered on the dorsal margin to form multiple warts; usually possessing multiple irregularly shaped macronuclear nodules; multiple contractile vacuoles mostly located along the dorsal margin, with the largest one situated subcaudally; 10–16 right somatic kineties and 7–10 left somatic kineties. Additionally, its phylogenetic position based on the SSU rDNA sequence was also discussed.

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How to Cite

Gao, H., Wang, Y., Song, W. & Ji, D. (2026) Loxophyllum clampi sp. nov., a new pleurostomatid ciliate (Protozoa, Ciliophora) from the Yellow River Delta, China. Zootaxa, 5821 (1), 119–130. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5821.1.8