Tintinnids (Ciliophora: Spirotricha: Tintinnina) are occasionally the dominant ciliates in the marine plankton. The tintinnid loricae are minute artworks fascinating scientists for more than 230 years, but their chemical composition remained unclear, viz., chitinous or proteinaceous substances were discussed. Since sedimenting loricae contribute to the flux of elements and organic compounds in the oceans, knowledge about their nature is necessary in assessing their ecological role. Previous techniques and new methods, e.g. enzymatic digestion and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, are applied in the present study. A chitinous nature of the loricae is rejected by the Van-Wisselingh test and failure of chitinase digestion. Only proteins might show a resistance against strong hot bases (KOH at 160°C for ~ 40 min. in tintinnid loricae) similar to that of chitin. Actually, the presence of nitrogen in the EDX analyses and the digestion of at least some loricae by proteinase K strongly indicate a proteinaceous nature. Furthermore, the crystal lattice revealed by high-resolution TEM in Eutintinnus loricae is similar to the proteinaceous surface layer (S-layer) of archaea, and the striation recognizable in transverse sections of Eutintinnus loricae has a periodicity resembling that of the crystalline proteins in the extruded trichocysts of Paramecium and Frontonia. The proteolytic resistance of some loricae does not reject the idea of a proteinaceous nature, as proteins in S-layers of some archaea and in most naturally occurring prions show comparable reactions. The data from the present study and the literature indicate proteins in the loricae of thirteen genera. Differences in the proteolytic resistance and staining properties between genera and congeners are probably due to deviations in the protein composition and the additional substances, e.g. lipids, carbohydrates. At the present state of knowledge, correlations between lorica structure, wall texture, ultrastructure of the lorica forming granules, and the histochemical and enzymatic findings are not evident. Therefore, further studies are required to estimate the taxonomic significance of these features and the ecological role of sedimenting loricae.

Several Ontario (Canada) populations of the “heliozoan-like” protist Belonocystis Rainer, 1968 were studied to help elucidate the taxonomic position of this genus relative to other rhizarian protists with fine pseudopodia. The Ontario material presently includes two distinct species – B. tubistella Rainer and B. quadrangularis n. sp., described here as a new species based on cell morphology and microstructure of the spiny investiture encasing its cell. The organic nature of the spiny structures of both species has been confirmed by their dissolution in 6% sodium hypochlorite solution. Median cell diameters of B. tubistella and B. quadrangularis were 10.5 μm and 7 μm, respectively. As revealed by transmission electron microscopy, the spine bases in B. tubistella consisted of a complex structure of four curved ribs interconnected by a membranous sheet replete with closely-appressed, large circular to elliptical pores, while in B. quadrangularis the spine bases consisted of a simple four-cornered “pyramid” of struts that supported the main shaft of the spine. These findings strengthen the status of the genus Belonocystis and it placement outside the realm of the Centrohelida and Rotosphaerida.
 

Euplotes balteatus (Dujardin, 1841) Kahl 1932, collected from coastal waters near Qingdao, northern China, was investigated using live observation and silver staining methods. An improved diagnosis and morphometric data are provided. Euplotes balteatus can be identified by the following combination of characters: 10 frontoventral cirri, 2 widely separated marginal cirri, 2 fine caudal cirri, 8 dorsal kineties and a double-eurystomus type silverline system. Its morphogenesis, which is similar to that of several congeners, can be summarized as follows: (1) the opisthe’s oral primordium appears de novo under the pellicle whereas the old oral apparatus is retained by the proter; (2) two groups of frontoventral transverse cirral anlagen, each with five streaks, occur de novo and then develop into the frontoventral and transverse cirri separately according to the formula of “3:3:3:3:2” from left to right; (3) the anlagen for the marginal cirri occur de novo near the parental oral apparatus; (4) migratory cirri of both dividers derive from the anlagen near the paroral membrane; (5) the dorsal kinety anlagen come from dedifferentiation of the parental structures in the mid-body region; (6) caudal cirri are formed at the posterior ends of the two rightmost dorsal kineties. In the light of the present findings, it was concluded that the Antarctic population of E. balteatus reported by Song and Wilbert (2002) was misidentified. A new species, Euplotes wilberti nov. spec., is established for this population.

The present work describes the morphology and morphometry of a freshwater ciliate, Zosterodasys transversus, using live observation and protargol impregnation. The population from the River Ipeľ, Slovakia is designated as a neotype because (i) no type material is available from the species described by Kahl (1928); (ii) the neotype is consistent with Z. transversus as described by Kahl (1928); (iii) the neotype is from the same biogeographic region as Kahl’s (1928) populations; and (iv) there are several similar species (e.g., Z. agamalievi) whose identity is threatened by the species to be neotypified. The main features of Z. transversus are: (i) a body size of 120–240 × 50–115 μm in vivo; (ii) a broadly to narrowly obovate or elliptical body; (iii) a spherical to very narrowly ellipsoidal macronucleus with a single globular micronucleus nearby; (iv) several scattered contractile vacuoles; (v) an average of 82 ciliary rows, most of which are interrupted by a synhymenium incompletely encircling the body; and (vi) an average of 14 nematodesmal rods strengthening walls of the cyrtos. In the well-growing neotype population, a single cell of a mirror-image type was found. Most of the structures of this monster specimen are similar to those from ordinary cells, except for the double cytostome and cyrtos.
 

Two new species of Deharvengia and Assulina are described from samples in the mountain forests of Honshu Is. (Japan). Morphometric analysis showed low variability of their morphological characteristics with coefficients of variation ranging between 1.4 and 9.1% for the two new species. An amended description of the genus Deharvengia is provided

We studied the diversity of heterotrophic flagellates from the sandy sediments of the Yangtze River, sandy and silty sediments of Donghu Lake, soil, moss and litter from the Luojiashan and Moshan hills as well as litter from the floodplain near Donghu Lake in April 2010. Sixty-seven heterotrophic flagellate species were identified by means of phase and interference contrast light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The majority of the observed flagellates were bacterivorous. Local species richness of river sediment communities was significantly lower than that of lake sediments and terrestrial habitats. The communities from the terrestrial habitats were more heterogeneous than those from freshwater sediments. Common species for the aquatic habitats were Rhynchomonas nasuta, Paraphysomonas sp., Neobodo designis, N. curvifilis, Bodo saltans and Spumella spp. In the soils only Spumella spp. was found in the majority of samples. Most characteristic taxa for the lake sediments were Helkesimastix faecicola, Petalomonas minuta, P. pusilla, Diphylleia rotans, Amastigomonas caudata. Amoeboflagellates such as Cercomonas angustus, C. granulifera, Paracercomonas crassicauda were specific for the terrestrial habitats. There were no specific taxa in the river sediments. The majority of the heterotrophic flagellates identified in this survey have been noted in China earlier. They are common (and usually predominant) for other regions in both freshwater and soil habitats.

A new species of isosporoid coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) is described from captive Himalayan Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus (Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae). Sporulated oocysts of Isospora annthomassonae n. sp. are subspherical to slightly ellipsoidal 32.0 ± 1.5 × 29.4 ± 1.3 (30–35 × 27–31) μm. Micropyle, oocyst residuum and polar granule are absent. Sporocysts are broadly ellipsoidal, 24.6 ± 1.4 × 12.9 ± 0.7 (22–28 × 12–14) μm, with Stieda and substiedal bodies. Sporocyst residuum is broadly ellipsoidal, 11.3 ± 0.8 × 9.5 ± 0.7 (9–13 × 8–11) μm, composed of hundreds of small granules. Sporozoites are elongate and slightly curved, each with two refractile bodies.