Morphological and taxonomical studies on some marine scuticociliates from China Sea, with description of two new species, Philasterides armatalis sp, n, and Cyclidium varibonneti sp n. (Protozoa: Ciliophora: Scuticociliatida)

The morphology, infraciliature and silverline system of 7 marine- scuticociliates including two new species are described: Pleuronema coronatum Kent, 1881, Cohnilembus verminus Muller, 1786, Philasterides armatalis sp. n., Pseudocohnilembus persalinus Evans & Thompson, 1964, Porpostoma notatum Mobius, 1888, Cyclidium varibonneti sp. n. and Ancistrum crassum Fenchel, 1965. The new species, Philasterides armatalis is identified by the following characteristics: in vivo 50-80 x 18-25 mun with roundly pointed apical end and one prolonged caudal cilium; oral field about 1/3 of cell length; buccal apparatus with distinctly biparite paroral membrane, 16-18 somatic kinety, one macro- and one micronucleus; single contractile vacuole caudally located, marine form. The diagnosis of the new species, Cyclidium varibonneti: small marine Cyclidium in vivo 15-25 x 10-15 mum with two macronuclei; buccal field about 3/4 of cell length; contractile vacuole caudally located near ventral margin; 11-13 bipolar somatic kineties, of which the posterior end of SKn is conspicuously shortened and that of SKn-1 is composed of densely spaced kinetosomes. Based an the data obtained, the following species are considered to be junior synonyms: Pseudocohnilembus longisetus Evans & Thompson, 1964 and P. marinus Thompson, 1966 (= P. persalinus Evans & Thompson, 1964); Lembus punctatus Kahl, 1928 and Lembus reesi Kahl, 1931 [= Cohnilembus veminus (Muller, 1786)].