Parablepharisma (Ciliophora) is not a Heterotrich: A Phylogenetic and Morphological Study with the Proposal of New Taxa

Pedro H Campello-Nunes; Noemi M Fernandes; Franziska Szokoli; Sergei I Fokin; Valentina Serra; Letizia Modeo; Giulio Petroni; Carlos A G Soares; Thiago da S Paiva; Inácio D da Silva-Neto

doi:10.1016/j.protis.2020.125716

Parablepharisma (Ciliophora) is not a Heterotrich: A Phylogenetic and Morphological Study with the Proposal of New Taxa

Protist. 2020 Apr;171(2):125716. doi: 10.1016/j.protis.2020.125716. Epub 2020 Feb 7.

Affiliations

¹ Laboratório de Protistologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: ph.campello.nunes@hotmail.com.
² Laboratório de Protistologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
³ Institut für Hydrobiologie, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
⁴ Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, via A. Volta 4-6, Pisa, Italy; Department of Invertebrate Zoology, St. Petersburg State University, Russia.
⁵ Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, via A. Volta 4-6, Pisa, Italy.
⁶ Laboratório de Genética Molecular de Eucariontes e Simbiontes, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PMID: 32086115
DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2020.125716

Abstract

The genus Parablepharisma Jankowski, 2007 at present includes five species, most of which have not been studied in detail, therefore phylogenetic affinities remained uninvestigated up to now. Parablepharisma is traditionally placed within Heterotrichea based on insufficient existing morphological data, and there are no available Parablepharisma gene sequences in molecular databases to support this placement. This work presents an 18S rDNA-based phylogeny of P. bacteriophora (Kahl, 1932) Jankowski, 2007 and P. brasiliensis sp. nov. We also provide a redescription of P. bacteriophora and P. chlamydophorum (Kahl, 1932) Jankowski, 2007 based on live morphological observations combined with silver impregnation and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. According to characters such as macro- and micronucleus number, the position of the ectosymbiotic bacteria, and the presence/absence of caudal cilia, two new species are described, i.e. P. granulata sp. nov. and P. brasiliensis sp. nov. In addition, we establish Kahlium gen. nov. to include P. chlamydophorum, which has a segmented anterior paroral portion and a twisted posterior paroral section as diagnostic features. To include Parablepharisma and Kahlium gen. nov., we propose Parablepharismidae fam. nov. According to our phylogenetic analyses, Parablepharisma belongs to SAL (Spirotrichea, Armophorea, Litostomatea), being a sister group of Cariacotrichea.

Keywords: Ciliophora; Parablepharisma; SAL.; morphology; phylogeny.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Ciliophora* / classification
Ciliophora* / cytology
Ciliophora* / genetics
Phylogeny*
RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / genetics
Species Specificity

Substances

RNA, Ribosomal, 18S