Investigating the psammophilic karyorelictean ciliate families Kentrophoridae and Cryptopharyngidae (Protista, Ciliophora): molecular phylogeny, geographic distributions and a brief revision including descriptions of a new genus, a new species and a new combination

• DOI: 10.1007/s42995-024-00266-6
• Publication Date: 2024-12-23T11:48:10Z
• Authors: Mingzhen Ma; Danxu Tang; Wen Song; Lifang Li; Igor V. Dovgal; Khaled A. S. Al-R...; Hunter N. Hines; Ying Yan
• Keywords: Monophyly

Abstract Psammophillic ciliates are an integral part of the foodweb despite being underrepresented in terms molecular phylogeny and modern taxonomy. To investigate karyorelictean group, sampling was conducted interstitial marine habitats China for living between sand grains, resulting examination families Cryptopharyngidae Jankowski, 1980 Kentrophoridae 1980. Three species, i.e., Cryptopharynx setigerus Kahl, 1928, Kentrophoros fasciolatus (Sauerbrey, 1928) Foissner, 1995 K. fistulosus (Fauré-Fremiet, 1950) 1995, clearly recognized as cosmopolitan, while other species await further recording. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out based on updated data. These revealed that closely related, most genera studied monophyletic, although qingdaoensis n. sp. is located within branch. Brief revisions two genera, namely 1928 Sauerbrey, provided including keys to identification nine belonging former 12 latter. One new genus, Parakentrophoros gen., one sp., described a combination, canalis (Wright, 1982) comb., established. Finally, it appears subapical oral apparatus undergoes gradual degeneration process from Kentrophoridae.