Taxonomy and phylogeny of three heterotrich ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora), with description of a newBlepharismaspecies (original) (raw)
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Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016
The morphology and phylogeny of three heterotrich ciliates, Anigsteinia clarissima (Anigstein, 1912) Isquith, 1968, Blepharisma penardi sp. nov., and Blepharisma undulans Stein, 1867, were investigated based on living morphology, infraciliature, and small subunit (SSU) rDNA sequence data. The new species B. penardi sp. nov. is recognized by the following combination of characters: size about 150-180 × 45-55 μm in vivo, cell colour variable from colourless to pale pink to dark brownish; peristome extending to middle of body; 36-63 adoral membranelles; 24-34 somatic kineties; single macronucleus; cortical granules tiny and colourless; freshwater habitat. Anigsteinia clarissima and B. undulans are both reported from China for the first time and are redescribed based on a combination of previous descriptions and new data from the Chinese populations. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA sequence data show that B. penardi sp. nov. and B. undulans are both located within a clade comprising only congeners, thus supporting the monophyly of the genus Blepharisma. Anigsteinia clarissima clusters with its only congener forming a clade that is sister to the Spirostomum assemblage. Both the morphological and the molecular data support the placement of Anigsteinia in the family Spirostomidae.
Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 2004
ABSTRACT. We have used small subunit rRNA gene sequences to determine the phylogenetic relationships of species in three genera of endosymbiotic ciliates. We have confirmed that the astome Anoplophrya marylandensis is related to ciliates in the Class Oligohy-menophorea, supporting the view that astomes are derived from hymenostome-like ancestors. We confirmed that Plagiotoma lumbrici, formerly considered to be a heterotrich, is a stichotrich spirotrich ciliate most closely related to Paraurostyla weissei in this analysis. Thus, the somatic polykinetids of Plagiotoma can be concluded to be cirri. We report the details of our isolation of Nyctotheroides deslierresae and Nyctotheroides parvus and confirm previous reports that these clevelandellids are related to the metopid and caeno-morphid ciliates, now placed in the Class Armophorea.
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2001
The small subunit rDNAs of five species belonging to the Euplotidae and eight species of the Oxytrichidae were sequenced to obtain a more detailed picture of the phylogenetic relationships within the Spirotrichea (Ciliophora). Various tree reconstruction algorhythms yielded nearly identical topologies. All Euplotidae were separated from the other Spirotrichea by a deep split. Further, a large genetic distance between the marine genus Moneuplotes and the freshwater species of Euplotoides was found. Differences between the methods used occurred only within the Oxytrichidae. Whereas the monophyly of the Stylonychinae was supported in all trees, the monophyly of the Oxytrichinae was not. However, the molecular data support the morphological and ontogenetic evidence that the pattern of 18 frontal-ventral-transversal cirri evolved in the stemline of the Oxytrichidae and was modified several times independently. Our results are also in agreement with taxonomic revisions: the separation of both Sterkiella nova from Oxytricha and Tetmemena pustulata from Stylonychia.
Ciliophora ) Inferred from Small Subunit rRNA Gene Sequences
2001
Spirotrichea (Greenwood et al., 1991). Together with t g 1 r 1 E The small subunit rDNAs of five species belonging to the Euplotidae and eight species of the Oxytrichidae were sequenced to obtain a more detailed picture of the phylogenetic relationships within the Spirotrichea (Ciliophora). Various tree reconstruction algorhythms yielded nearly identical topologies. All Euplotidae were separated from the other Spirotrichea by a deep split. Further, a large genetic distance between the marine genus Moneuplotes and the freshwaer species of Euplotoides was found. Differences beween the methods used occurred only within the xytrichidae. Whereas the monophyly of the Stylnychinae was supported in all trees, the monophyly f the Oxytrichinae was not. However, the molecular ata support the morphological and ontogenetic evience that the pattern of 18 frontal–ventral–transveral cirri evolved in the stemline of the Oxytrichidae nd was modified several times independently. Our esults are also in...
Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 2008
ABSTRACT. The morphology and infraciliature of a new ciliate, Kiitricha minuta n. sp., isolated from the Yellow Sea, were investigated using live observation and protargol impregnation. Kiitricha minuta represents a third member of the rarely known order Kiitrichida. It is unique in the subclass Hypotrichia in having many rows of small uniform cirri along the right side of the body and the dorsal kineties composed of dikinetids, most of which bear two cilia. Kiitricha minuta n. sp. is ovoid and measures about 60 × 45 μm in vivo. It has a huge buccal cavity occupying about 80% of the body length, numerous body extrusomes, one macronucleus and two micronuclei, 27–27 adoral membranelles, 9–12 frontoventral cirral rows, a submarginal row of 7–9 cirri, 6 or 7 transverse cirri, and roughly 7–9 dorsal kineties. This new species differs distinctly from its only congener Kiitricha marina by its smaller size (60 μm vs. 80–150 μm), the presence of body extrusomes (vs. absent), the different macronuclear pattern (one vs. two nodules), and the lower number of frontoventral cirral rows (9–12 vs. 21–26), which terminate at the anterior two-thirds of body (vs. extend to the posterior). The new term “submarginal cirral row” is introduced to distinguish from the marginal cirral row in typical hypotrichs sensu lato. Based on our new observations and the literature, an improved diagnosis for the genus Kiitricha is provided and its phylogenetic importance is discussed.
Systematics and Biodiversity, 2010
The phylogenetic positions of three systematically controversial genera of ciliates, Spirotrachelostyla, Uroleptopsis and Tunicothrix, have never been established by molecular data. The small subunit rRNA genes of three species, S. tani, U. citrina and T. wilberti, were sequenced and added to existing sequences of stichotrichs and other ciliates to construct phylogenetic trees. Results indicate the following: (1) Uroleptopsis is most closely related to species of Pseudokeronopsis, supporting its assignment to the family Pseudokeronopsidae; (2) one sampled Tunicothrix branches sister to the two sampled Parabirojimia, and this supports the placement of Tunicothrix in the Parabirojimidae; (3) Spirotrachelostyla clusters consistently with Trachelostyla to form a distinct, divergent clade that associates with Amphisiella at the base of the entire sporadotrich-urostylid clade, confirming the hypothesis that Spirotrachelostyla should be placed in the family Trachelostylidae.
Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2011
The sporadotrichid ciliates are an especially diverse group. A number of investigators have studied the morphological, morphogenetic, and molecular relationships among members of this group. Despite this, a consistent classification is still lacking and several important questions about the phylogenetic relationships within this group remain unsolved. To improve our understanding of these relationships, we constructed phylogenetic trees using the nucleotide sequences of the small-subunit rRNA (SSrRNA) gene and amino acid sequences of actin I and α-tubulin. Analyses of SSrRNA gene sequences indicated that: 1) the Sporadotrichida sensu Lynn (2008) and the Oxytrichidae are polyphyletic; 2) the Uroleptus species, which are classified to urostylids, formed a sister group with the oxytrichids; 3) Halteria grandinella, which is grouped morphologically with oligotrich species, clustered within the oxytrichids. These results are congruent with previous studies based on SSrRNA gene sequences. However, the amino acid sequences of actin I and α-tubulin yielded different topologies. The main results are: 1) in all phylogenetic trees, the genus Oxytricha was paraphyletic; 2) Uroleptus was sister to a subset of Urostyla and Holosticha, albeit with low supporting values; 3) Halteria grandinella was separated distantly from the Oxytrichidae in trees inferred from actin I amino acid sequences but clustered with oligotrichids in the α-tubulin analysis. The inconsistency among the trees inferred from these different molecular markers may be caused by rapidly accumulated genetic characterizations of ciliates. Further studies with additional molecular markers and sampling of more taxa are expected to better address the relationships among sporadotrichids.
The Journal of Protozoology, 1991
The complete small subunit rRNA gene sequences of the heterotrich Blepharisma americanum and the colpodid Colpoda inflata were determined to be 17 19 and 1786 nucleotides respectively. The phylogeny produced by comparisons with other ciliates indicated that C. inflata is allied more closely with the nassophoreans and oligohymenophoreans than the spirotrichs. This is consistent with the placement of the colpodids in the Class Copodea. Blepharisma americanum was not grouped with the hypotrichs but instead was placed as the earliest branching ciliate. The distinct separation of B. americanum supports the elevation to class status given the heterotrichs based on morphological characters.
Science China-life Sciences, 2020
Heterotrichous ciliates play an important role in aquatic ecosystem energy flow processes and many are model organisms for research in cytology, regenerative biology, and toxicology. In the present study, we combine both morphological and molecular data to infer phylogenetic relationships at family-genus level and propose new evolutionary hypotheses for the class Heterotrichea. The main results include: (1) 96 new ribosomal DNA sequences from 36 populations, representing eight families and 13 genera, including three poorly annotated genera, Folliculinopsis, Ampullofolliculina and Linostomella; (2) the earliest-branching families are Spirostomidae in single-gene trees and Peritromidae in the concatenated tree, but the family Peritromidae probably represents the basal lineage based on its possession of many "primitive" morphological characters; (3) some findings in molecular trees are not supported by morphological evidence, such as the family Blepharismidae is one of the most recent branches and the relationship between Fabreidae and Folliculinidae is very close; (4) the systematic positions of Condylostomatidae, Climacostomidae, and Gruberiidae remain uncertain based either on morphological or molecular data; and (5) the monophyly of each genus included in the present study is supported by the molecular phylogenetic trees, except for Blepharisma in the SSU rDNA tree and Folliculina in the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 tree.