MORPHOLOGY AND MORPHOGENESIS OF HISTRICULUS MULTINUCLEATA SP. NOV.DURING ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION (Ciliophora, Hypotrichida)

A description of the morphology and morphogenesis of the hypotrichous fresh water ciliate Histriculus multinucleata sp. nov., collected from a puddle near a reservoir in Harbin suburbia in Heilongjiang province is given. The morphology,infraciliature, morphogenesis and relationship with other species in the same genus are studied. The new species has same characters as the other species in the same genus,being pellicularly thinner, but inflexible, without subpellicular granule. The most obvious character of the new species is that it has more nuclei (5.4?.4). The adora zone of membranelles is consisted of 42.3?.2 membranelles. The fronto cirri,ventral cirri, transverse cirri and caudal cirri are identical as 8:5:5:3. All basic developmental processes in morphogenesis resemble those of other species in the same genus. The charcteristic for the present species is the extra irregular bristles between the dorsal kinety (DK) of 3-4.Type location: Collected from a small puddle near a reservoir in Harbin(45?5' N, 126?6'E), Heilongjiang Province, China.Type-specimens: Slides of holotype and paratype specimens have been deposited in Research Laboratory on Portozoa in Harbin Normal University and Fishery College,Ocean University of Qingdao.