New Species of the Genus Metacystis (Ciliophora, Prostomatida, Metacystidae) from a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Unusual prostomatid specimens were found in the biological reactor of a wastewater treatment plant in a health resort in Valencia, Spain. These ciliates were attached to flocs unlike other free-swimming prostomatid ciliates described to date in the mixed liquor of activated sludge plants. The morphological study of this species led to a typically different combination of characteristics: elongated cell shape, 20-30 somatic kineties, 2 perioral kineties, and 1 circumoral kinety, 1 large vacuole protruding at the terminal end, a lorica tapered toward the aperture with a smooth neck, and 11-16 annular ridges. These characteristics place this representative as a new species of the genus Metacystis--Metacystis galiani n. sp. This species became the dominant population within the biological reactor when high values of conductivity (4,244 mS/cm) and temperature (26.8 °C) were recorded.