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Issue: Vol. 5821 No. 4: 3 Jun. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-03
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5821.4.8
Page range: 559-570
Abstract views: 78
PDF downloaded: 3

Taxonomic research of a new species collected from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Anteholosticha lhasaensis sp. nov. (Ciliophora, Hypotrichia)

Laboratory of Protozoans in Coastal Water Environments; School of Marine Sciences; Ningbo University; Ningbo 315800; China
Laboratory of Protozoans in Coastal Water Environments; School of Marine Sciences; Ningbo University; Ningbo 315800; China
Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Wetland and Watershed Ecosystem; School of Ecology and Environment; Xizang University; Lhasa 850000; China
Laboratory of Protozoans in Coastal Water Environments; School of Marine Sciences; Ningbo University; Ningbo 315800; China
Laboratory of Protozoans in Coastal Water Environments; School of Marine Sciences; Ningbo University; Ningbo 315800; China
Protist Hypotrichs phylogeny soil ciliates SSU rDNA sequence

Abstract

Anteholosticha lhasaensis sp. nov., a new soil ciliate isolated from the top 5 cm of soil in Lhasa, Tibet, China, is characterized by: body size in vivo 95–155 × 30–40 µm; 4–6 transverse cirri in J-shaped row; one pretransverse ventral cirrus located close to the right transverse cirrus; four dorsal kineties. Phylogenetic analyses based on small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) sequences place it within a moderately supported clade (ML/BI = 73%/0.99) with Wilbertophrya sinica; morphologically, however, it is distinct in possessing a buccal cirrus and pretransverse ventral cirrus. As in previous studies, Anteholosticha remains non-monophyletic; this taxon further underscores the genus’s urgent need for revision. The comprehensive morphological and molecular data herein expand documentation of the “Holosticha complex” and provide a critical high-altitude reference for future taxonomic studies.

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How to Cite

Zhai, L., Zhao, X., Ba, S., Ma, M. & Chen, X. (2026) Taxonomic research of a new species collected from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Anteholosticha lhasaensis sp. nov. (Ciliophora, Hypotrichia). Zootaxa, 5821 (4), 559–570. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5821.4.8