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Presence of two new species of suctorian (Protozoa: Ciliophora) epibiont on the marine crustacean isopod Excirolana chiltoni

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2003

Gregorio Fernandez-Leborans
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología Animal I (Zoología), Facultad de Biología, Pnta 9, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain, E-mail: greg@bio.ucm.es
Yukio Hanamura
Affiliation:
National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Ohno-cho, Hiroshima 739-0452, Japan. E-mail: hanamura@nnf.affrc.go.jp
Keizo Nagasaki
Affiliation:
National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Ohno-cho, Hiroshima 739-0452, Japan. E-mail: nagasaki@nnf.affrc.go.jp

Abstract

Specimens of the marine isopod Excirolana chiltoni collected in Hokkaido (northern Japan) showed epibiont protozoan ciliates belonging to two species of loricate suctorian: Acineta hokkaidensis sp. nov. and Acineta excirolensis sp. nov. Acineta hokkaidensis is larger, with an elongated body covered by a lorica. The short stalk had 15–18 longitudinal striations. The contractile vacuole was located apically. The macronucleus was posterior. Two fascicles of capitate tentacles located at the edges of the apical area project through the anterior aperture of the lorica. The suctorians were found on the pereiopods and antennae of the isopod. Acineta excirolensis which is smaller and triangular in shape, showed a very wide lorica and a noticeably long stalk. At the edges of the apical region there were two lobulate actinophores, each with a fascicle of capitate tentacles. The contractile vacuole was anterior and spherical, and the macronucleus was central. These suctorians were attached as planobionts on the pereiopods of the isopod. The taxonomic position of both species was analysed in relation to other similar species previously described.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2003 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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