Apofrontonia lametschwandtneri nov gen., nov spec., a new peniculine ciliate (Protozoa, Ciliophora) from Venezuela

Apofrontonia lametschwandtneri was discovered in a highly saline mud and soil sample from a flooded area on the north coast of Venezuela (Maracay National Park). Its morphology was studied in vivo and in silver preparations, as well as in the scanning electron microscope. The new genus Apofrontonia belongs to the family Frontoniidae and is characterized by a combination of three features, viz., a pyriform vestibular opening occupying more than half of the body length; a bowl-shaped vestibulum that posteriorly gradually merges into the cell surface, completely exposing three similarly-structured peniculi; many (>6) vestibular kineties covering the sigmoidal right vestibular wall and not extending beyond the oral cavity. Apofrontonia lametschwandtneri nov. spec. differs from a European congener, A. obtusa (Song and Wilbert 1989) nov. comb. (basionym: Frontonia obtusa Song and Wilbert 1989), by body size (180 mum vs. 80 mum), number of somatic (155 vs. 90) and vestibular kineties (13 vs. 9), and the number (25 vs. 4-5) and location (scattered vs. lateral) of contractile vacuoles. Considering that A. lametschwandweri has not been found in Europe, although it is a very large, conspicuous ciliate, it might be endemic to South America.