A redescription of the oxytrichid Tetmemena pustulata (Muller, 1786) Eigner, 1999 and notes on morphogenesis in the marine urostylid Metaurostylopsis salina Lei et al., 2005 (Ciliophora, Hypotrichia)

Two hypotrichous ciliates from China were investigated. The common oxytrichid species Tetmemena pustulata (Muller, 1786) Eigner, 1999, isolated from the estuary of the Pearl River in southern China, was investigated with emphasis on its living morphology and infraciliature. Tetmemena pustulata is characterized as follows: body elliptical to obovoid in shape; 75-115 x 40-60 mu m in vivo; two macronuclear nodules and two micronuclei; one contractile vacuole left of midline and somewhat ahead of midbody positioned; three frontal, four frontoventral, one buccal, three postoral ventral, two pretransverse ventral and five transverse cirri; cirrus III/2 ahead of level of cirrus IV/3; cirrus IV/2 arranged more anteriorly than cirrus V/4; transverse cirri not forming two distinct groups; three prolonged and widely separated caudal cirri; six dorsal kineties in Oxytricha-pattern with dorsal kineties 3 and 4 bipolar. The marine urostylid species Metaurostylopsis salina Li et al., 2005, isolated from an aquarium in Qingdao, northern China, was investigated with emphasis on its morphogenesis which is characterized by the de novo formation of the oral primordium in the proter and the development of the marginal rows from two anlagen that form within each parental structure separately in both dividers. (C) 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.