Morphology and molecular phylogeny of Aegyria foissneri sp. n. and Lynchella minuta sp. n. (Ciliophora, Cyrtophoria) from brackish waters of southern China

The morphology, ciliary pattern and small subunit rDNA (SSU rDNA) sequences of two new cyrtophorian ciliates, Aegyria foissneri sp. n. and Lynchella minuta sp. n., isolated from brackish waters in southern China, were investigated. Aegyria foissneri sp. n. is characterized as follows: cell size 85-170 × 45-80 μm in vivo; body inverted oval with a protrusion and a dark pigment spot on anterior left part; 42-77 somatic kineties; one preoral and three to six circumoral kineties; five to eight transpodial segments; 31-44 nematodesmal rods; 12-16 contractile vacuoles; and single oval macronucleus. Lynchella minuta sp. n. is distinguished from its congeners by having a cell size of 20-30 × 15-20 μm in vivo, oval body outline; four preoral and 14 or 15 postoral kineties, three circumoral kineties; ca. 11 nematodesmal rods; one finger-like tentacle on the ventral side; and two diagonally located contractile vacuoles. Molecular phylogenetic analyses support the genus assignment of Aegyria foissneri sp. n. and indicate the monophyly of the genus. While Lynchella minuta sp. n. clusters with Coeloperix species, which indicates that Lynchella is non-monophyletic.