MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES ON SEVEN HETEROTRICHID CILIATES COLLECTED FROM THE COASTAL WATERS OF QINGDAO

Most heterotrichous ciliates are large, conspicuous and cosmopolitan. Hence, many of these organisms, and especially the marine forms, have been known for over half a century. Nonetheless, possibly less than half of these have been investigated by using modern methods. The identities of the rest remained difficult or confused as noted by many previous researchers. In recent years, it has been proposed that a minimum requirement for an acceptable species level description is that it should be based on observations of the organism both in vivo and following silver impregnation. As a part of survey on marine ciliates fauna in the coastal waters of Qingdao (3608N; 12043E), seven free-living hete-rotrichs, Climacostomum virens (Ehrenberg, 1833) Kahl, 1932, Licnophora lyngbycola Faur-Fremiet, 1937, Fabrea salina Henneguy, 1890, Peritromus faurei Kahl, 1932, Folliculina simplex (Dons, 1917) Song, et al., 2003, Folliculi-nopsis producta (Wright, 1859) Faur-Fremiet, 1936 and Condylostoma curva Burkovsky, 1970, were morphologically investigated by using live observations and silver impregnation methods. Climacostomum virens was first recorded in China and collected from a sandy beach. Based on the Qingdao populations, much more information particularly with respect to their cortical granules, cell colour, swarmers' morphology, infraciliature and other morphological features in vivo as well as original morphometric data were provided. As a new contribution, present work firstly disclosed the swarmer's living morphology and infraciliature, the type of cortical granules and the character of pigment granules of Folliculina simplex and Folliculinopsis producta. In addition, updated diagnosis and redescriptions of Cli-macostomum virens was provided, the improved diagnosis of this organism was as followed: blue-grayish or dark-greenish Climacostomum with oblong oval or kidney-shaped outline; about 160-250 m long in vivo; oral vesti-bulum prominent, the end of which was tubulose and comprised a spout-shaped cytopharynx; about 53-68 membra-nelles in adoral zone of membranelles; 10-15 vestibular kineties paralleled with adoral zone of membranelles; 14-16 pharyngeal kinetes; 36-40 somatic kineties; one belt-shaped macronucleus middle body positioned; with tiny and grayish cortical granules; marine habitat.