New Paramecium quadecaurelia strains (P. aurelia spp. complex, Ciliophora) identified by molecular markers (rDNA and mtDNA)

Paramecium (Oligohymenophorea, Ciliophora) diversity in Thailand sheds light on the genus biogeography and reveals new phylogenetic lineages

Paramecium (Ciliophora, Oligohymenophorea) is a good model to study ciliate biogeography. Extensive sampling mainly in northern hemisphere has led to 16 valid morphological species description thus far. However, a majority of hard-to-reach regions, including South East Asia, are underinvestigated. Our study combined traditional morphological and molecular approaches to reveal the biodiversity of Paramecium in Thailand from more than 110 samples collected in 10 provinces. Representatives of seven morphological species were identified from our collection, including the rare species, such as P. gigas and P. jenningsi. Additionally, we detected five different sibling species of the P. aurelia complex, described a new cryptic species P. hiwatashii n. sp. phylogenetically related to P. caudatum, and discovered a potentially new genetic species of the P. bursaria species complex. We also documented a variety of bacterial cytoplasmic symbionts from at least nine monoclonal cultures of Paramecium.

Cryptic Diversity in Paramecium multimicronucleatum Revealed with a Polyphasic Approach

Paramecium (Ciliophora) systematics is well studied, and about twenty morphological species have been described. The morphological species may include several genetic species. However, molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that the species diversity within Paramecium could be even higher and has raised a problem of cryptic species whose statuses remain uncertain. In the present study, we provide the morphological and molecular characterization of two novel Paramecium species. While Paramecium lynni n. sp., although morphologically similar to P. multimicronucleatum, is phylogenetically well separated from all other Paramecium species, Paramecium fokini n. sp. appears to be a cryptic sister species to P. multimicronucleatum. The latter two species can be distinguished only by molecular methods. The number and structure of micronuclei, traditionally utilized to discriminate species in Paramecium, vary not only between but also within each of the three studied species and, thus, cannot be considered a reliable feature for species identification. The geographic distribution of the P. multimicronucleatum and P. fokini n. sp. strains do not show defined patterns, still leaving space for a role of the geographic factor in initial speciation in Paramecium. Future findings of new Paramecium species can be predicted from the molecular data, while morphological characteristics appear to be unstable and overlapping at least in some species.

Paramecium bursaria—A Complex of Five Cryptic Species: Mitochondrial DNA COI Haplotype Variation and Biogeographic Distribution

Ciliates are a diverse protistan group and many consist of cryptic species complexes whose members may be restricted to particular biogeographic locations. Mitochondrial genes, characterized by a high resolution for closely related species, were applied to identify new species and to distinguish closely related morphospecies. In the current study, we analyzed 132 sequences of COI mtDNA fragments obtained from P. bursaria species collected worldwide. The results allowed, for the first time, to generate a network of COI haplotypes and demonstrate the relationships between P. bursaria strains, as well as to confirm the existence of five reproductively isolated haplogroups. The P. bursaria haplogroups identified in the present study correspond to previously reported syngens (R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5), thus we decided to propose the following binominal names for each of them: P. primabursaria, P. bibursaria, P. tribursaria, P. tetrabursaria, and P. pentabursaria, respectively. The phylogeographic distribution of P. bursaria species showed that P. primabursaria and P. bibursaria were strictly Eurasian, except for two South Australian P. bibursaria strains. P. tribursaria was found mainly in Eastern Asia, in two stands in Europe and in North America. In turn, P. tetrabursaria was restricted to the USA territory, whereas P. pentabursaria was found in two European localities.

Paramecium Diversity and a New Member of the Paramecium aurelia Species Complex Described from Mexico

Paramecium (Ciliophora) is an ideal model organism to study the biogeography of protists. However, many regions of the world, such as Central America, are still neglected in understanding Paramecium diversity. We combined morphological and molecular approaches to identify paramecia isolated from more than 130 samples collected from different waterbodies in several states of Mexico. We found representatives of six Paramecium morphospecies, including the rare species Paramecium jenningsi, and Paramecium putrinum, which is the first report of this species in tropical regions. We also retrieved five species of the Paramecium aurelia complex, and describe one new member of the complex, Paramecium quindecaurelia n. sp., which appears to be a sister species of Paramecium biaurelia. We discuss criteria currently applied for differentiating between sibling species in Paramecium. Additionally, we detected diverse bacterial symbionts in some of the collected ciliates.

Ciliate species diversity and host-parasitoid codiversification in Pseudocollinia infecting krill, with description of Pseudocollinia similis sp. nov

All parasitoid apostome ciliates infecting krill in the northeastern Pacific are currently assigned to the genus Pseudocollinia. Each krill specimen is apparently infected by only 1 Pseudocollinia species. We describe Pseudocollinia similis sp. nov., discovered infecting the krill Thysanoessa spinifera off Oregon, USA. Its protomite-tomite stage resembles that of P. beringensis, which infects T. inermis (type host species), T. longipes, and T. raschii females in the Bering Sea. These ciliates have similar numbers of somatic kineties (18-21 vs. 16-20) and typically have 3 oral kineties. Furthermore, these 2 apostomes are sister species on gene trees based on sequences of small subunit rRNA (0.06% difference) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1; 30% difference). P. brintoni and P. oregonensis are closely related as a separate group from P. similis and P. beringensis. The similar tree topologies based on the cox1 sequences of 21 host krill individuals representing 6 krill species (Euphausia pacifica, Nyctiphanes simplex, T. inermis, T. longipes, T. raschii, and T. spinifera) and the apostomes isolated from these krill suggest host-parasitoid codiversification. However, this hypothesis was statistically rejected by an approximately unbiased test in which the host tree topology was used to model parasitoid evolution (p ≤ 0.05).