Abstract
The article is dedicated to re-discovery of ciliates Loricophrya bosporica (Suctorea) and Cothurnia sp. (Peritrichia) found at nematodes from methane seep of the Ria Formosa lagoon (Southern Portugal). Based on authors’ data the lagoon sediments might be attributing to the hypoxic (periodically anoxic) methane seepage environment. The morphological characterizations of found ciliates with emphasis on poorly studied stylotheca structure in suctorian ciliate and macronucleus morphology in peritrich are presented.
Highlights
Methane seeps referred to chemosynthetic extreme ecological communities, the main producers in which are methane bacteria and archaea (Pasulka et al, 2017)
The first finds of protists, especially ciliates in chemosynthetic communities have been in the hydrothermal vents (Van Dover et al, 1988), where, in particular, the abundant colonies of ciliates from family Folliculinidae Dons, 1914 (Folliculinopsis sp.), attached to inanimate substrates were observed (Kories et al, 2010)
The commensal suctorian ciliate Corynophrya abissalis Bartsch et Dovgal, 2010, which, apparently, is a specialized inhabitant of this community was found in hydrothermal vent (Bartsch & Dovgal, 2010, Dovgal & Sergeeva, 2016)
Summary
Methane seeps referred to chemosynthetic extreme ecological communities, the main producers in which are methane bacteria and archaea (Pasulka et al, 2017). It was assumed that the eukaryotic life is absent both in anoxic Black Sea waters and in oxygen-free sediments enriched by sulfides (Kiseleva, 1979, Azovskii & Mazei, 2005, Zaitsev et al, 2007, Zaitsev & Polikarpov, 2008, Gulin, 2012, 2013) It is still an open question whether these found eukaryotes are obligate components of any chemoautotrophic community in above mentioned conditions or observed species are only surviving in extreme conditions. The present article is dedicated to re-discovery of the latter suctorian species that were found at nematodes in methane seepage sediments of the Ria Formosa lagoon (Southern Portugal) along with the representative of subclass Peritrichia Cothurnia sp The redescriptions of these ciliates with attention to poorly studied stylotheca structure in suctorian ciliate and macronucleus morphology in peritrich are presented. The systematic position of suctorian ciliate have been given after Dovgal (2002, 2013) whereas systematics of peritrich ciliate have been shown after Lynn (2008)
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