Two new “flagship” ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora) from Venezuela: Sleighophrys pustulata and Luporinophrys micelae

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Abstract

Sleighophrys pustulata nov. gen., nov. spec. and Luporinophrys micelae nov. gen., nov. spec. were discovered in a slightly saline mud and soil sample from some flat, dry puddles in the Maracay National Park on the north coast of Venezuela. Their morphology was studied in vivo, in protargol preparations, and in the scanning electron microscope. The new genera are monotypic and belong to the trachelophyllid haptorids. They are characterized by the unique shape of the epicortical scales (lepidosomes). Sleighophrys pustulata, which has a size of about 180×23 μm, possesses type I and unique type V lepidosomes which are hat-shaped and about 7×7 μm in size. Luporinophrys micelae, which has a size of about 200×35 μm, possesses types I, II, and unique type VI lepidosomes which are narrow, about 10 μm high cones composed of fibrous stripes connected by polygonal meshes. The conspicuous body size and the richly structured, comparatively large lepidosomes make S. pustulata and L. micelae biogeographic flagships which may help to cast some light on the pending question whether or not microorganisms have biogeographies. The available data suggest that both species have a restricted geographic distribution, not only because they were not described previously, but mainly because they were absent in about 2000 freshwater samples from central Europe and in about 1000 soil samples collected globally.

Introduction

Endemicity is difficult to prove in microscopic organisms because (i) they are not easily recognizable; (ii) many species are dormant (encysted) most of their life; (iii) distinctive morphological features are rare, as compared to higher plants and animals; (iv) the field is distinctly undersearched, and (v) differences may remain unrecognized or misclassified as “site variations” due to the use of holarctic identification literature for species from other biogeographical regions (Foissner 2004). In this situation, eyecatching “flagships” with conspicuous size and/or morphology are the best distribution indicators. Many such species have been described (for a review, see Foissner 2004), but others remain to be discovered, showing our ignorance about even conspicuous taxa (Foissner et al. 2003). The two species described here are just other examples for this situation and support my hypothesis that we know mainly the more abundant and/or widely distributed protist species (Foissner 2004).

Sleighophrys pustulata and Luporinophrys micelae belong to an assemblage of free-living ciliates with a mucilaginous cortex cover; taxonomically, they are haptorid trachelophyllids, which are part of the time-honoured Gymnostomatea, now often called Litostomatea (Corliss 1979; Lynn 2003). Several such species were already described by Stokes (1884) and Kahl (1930), but it was only in 1984 that Nicholls and Lynn investigated a “slimy” species with the electron microscope. This showed the mucilaginous layer to be composed of minute, organic scales, which are now termed lepidosomes (Foissner et al. 2005). More recently, Foissner et al. (2002) described several new trachelophyllids, showing a considerable diversity of the lepidosomes. However, the individual lepidosomes of these species are difficult to recognize because they are ⩽3 μm in size. In contrast, the lepidosomes of S. pustulata and L. micelae have a size of ⩾5 μm and many fine details useable as biogeographic markers. Accordingly, they will be documented in great detail, allowing a meticulous comparison if they ever should be found in another biogeographic region.

Section snippets

Material and methods, terminology

Sleighophrys pustulata and L. micelae were discovered west of the Venezuelan capital Caracas, that is, in the Maracay National Park, about 13 km inshore from the north coast, where some Flamingo lakes surround the village of Chichiriviche, W67°13′N11°33′. This area, which is used as a cattle pasture and occasionally burnt, contains countless flat depressions which become small puddles after heavy rains. The sample, which was taken in May 1997, consisted of dry cyanobacterial and algal crusts,

Genus Sleighophrys nov. gen

Diagnosis: Trachelophyllidae Kent, 1881 with types I and V lepidosomes. Type I lepidosomes as diagnosed by Foissner et al. (2002). Type V lepidosomes upon a layer of type I lepidosomes, conspicuously hat-shaped, composed of a finely perforated, dish-shaped baseplate from which the coarsely and polygonally faceted, hemispherical dome emerges.

Type species: S. pustulata nov. spec.

Dedication: I dedicate this genus to Prof. Dr. Michael Sleigh (Southampton University), acknowledging his unforgettable

Classification of the Trachelophyllina Grain, 1994

Foissner et al. (2002) diagnosed a new suborder, Trachelophyllina, as “Spathidiida with epicortical scales”. However, Grain (1994) established the same suborder earlier, albeit with a different and rather vague diagnosis not including the lepidosomes which are, in my opinion, the main diagnostic feature. Nonetheless, Grain (1994) has nomenclatural priority.

Grain (1994) and Foissner et al. (2002) classify the trachelophyllids into the haptorids, and Foissner et al. (2002) relate them to the

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Austrian Science Foundation (projects P 12367-BIO and P 15017-BIO). The technical assistance of Dr. Eva Herzog, Dr. Brigitte Moser and Andreas Zankl is greatly acknowledged.

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