New record of four ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora) collected from rocky intertidal pools of South Korea

Abstract

Marine benthic ciliates were collected from four rocky intertidal pools along the eastern and southern coasts of Korea from 2012-2013. Ciliate specimens were examined by observing living and stained cells. Four ciliate species were new to Korea based on morphological characteristics as follows. (1) Aspidisca polypoda (Dujardin, 1841): small bean-shaped (ca. 30 μm), eight conspicuous dorsal ridge, polystyla-arrangement of frontoventral cirri; (2) Epiclintes auricularis auricularis (Claparède & Lachmann, 1858): tripartite and auriform body (ca. 300 μm), 46 adoral membranelles, one or two frontal and 23 transverse cirri, 12 oblique fronto-midventral rows; 59 left and 71 right marginal cirri; (3) Pseudochilodonopsis marina Song, 1991: reniform body (ca. 50 μm), two obliquely positioned contractile vacuoles, seven left and five right kineties, five fragmented preoral kineties; (4) Dysteria semilunaris (Gourret and Roeser, 1888): oval-shaped (ca. 30 μm), two longitudinally positioned contractile vacuoles, conspicuous longitudinal grooves on both plates, four or five right kineties, one short row below frontoventral kineties.