Faunistic Studies on Marine Ciliates from the Antarctic Benthic Area, Including Descriptions of One Epizoic Form, 6 New Species and, 2 New Genera (Protozoa: Ciliophora)

The morphology and taxonomy of 22 marine benthic ciliates including 2 new genera and 6 new species from the Antarctic area are described using live observations and silver impregnation techniques: Metacystis sp., Litonotus antarcticus sp. n., Dysteria calkinsi Kahl, 1931, Chlamydonella sp., Orthodonella shenae sp. n., Aegyriana paroliva gen. n., sp. n. Pleuronema coronatum Kent, 1881, Cyclidium varibonneti Song, 2000, Metanophrys antarctica sp. n., Scyphidia sp., Zoothamnium sp., Condylostoma remanei Spiegel in Kahl, 1932, Heterostentor coeruleus gen. n., sp. n., Holosticha diademata, Metaurostylopsis rubra sp. n., Uronychia binucleata Young, 1922, Diophrys oligothrix Borror, 1965, Diophrys scutum Dujardin, 1842, Euplotes balteatus, Aspidisca polypoda, Aspidisca crenata Fabre-Domerque, 1885 and Aspidisca quadrilineata Kahl, 1932. The diagnosis for the new genus Heterostentor: slightly to strongly contractile, free-living Heterotrichina with elongated body shape; no conspicuous buccal cavity or cytopharynx; oral apparatus Stentor-like, restricted apically around small truncated frontal plate; without peristomial kineties, paroral membrane highly degenerated or absent; somatic ciliature with suture on ventral side. According to the role of the ICZN (1985), reestablishment for the "non-existing"genus Aegyriana gen. n. has been made, its diagnosis: dorsoventrally flattened Dysteriidae with tail-shaped podite, oral structure reduced to 3 fragment-like kineties, postoral kineties making no gap in median; one bald space present subcaudally, which is completely surrounded by kinetosomes and where the podite is positioned; cytopharyngeal rods dominant. Based on the data obtained, the following species are considered as junior synonyms: Euplotes alatus Kahl, 1932; E. quinquecarinatus Gelei, 1951; E. magnicirratus Carter, 1972 and E. plicatum Valbonesi et al., 1997 [possibly conspecific with Eupotes balteatus]; Diophrys magnus Raikov & Kovaleva, 1968 and D. kasymovi Agamaliev, 1971 (junior synonyms of Diophrys scutum). One new combination is suggested: Scyphidia marioni comb. n. (formerly Mantoscyphidia marioni).