Two New Ciliates from the North China Seas, Schizocalyptra aeschtae nov. spec. and Sathrophilus holtae nov. spec., with New Definition of the Genus Sathrophilus (Ciliophora, Oligohymenophora)

1) Laboratory of Protozoology, KLM, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, P. R. China; 2) College of Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P. R. China; 3) Department of Zoology, the Natural History Museum, London, UK; 4Zoology Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.The living morphology, infraciliature, and silverline system of two marine ciliates, Schizocalyptra aeschtae nov. spec. and Sathrophilus holtae nov. spec. collected from sandy beaches near Qingdao, north China seas, were investigated. Schizocalyptra aeschtae is diagnosed as follows: 75–200 × 30–80 μm in vivo, bilaterally flattened about 1:2; about 15 prolonged cilia in posterior half of body; 60 somatic kineties on average; bases of membranelle 1 (M1) and M2b short; M3 about the same length as M2a; paroral membrane with 6–12 fragments at its posterior part; 2 to numerous macronuclear nodules in different shapes and sizes; one large contractile vacuole terminally located; marine habitat. Sathrophilus holtae nov. spec. is characterized by: in vivo 35–70 × 20–40 μm, cylindrical in outline; dorsoventrally flattened, with a conspicuously long caudal bristle; 21 somatic kineties on average; M1 three-rowed and bipartite with first row conspicuously long and separated from the other two; M2 two-rowed and L-shaped; ratio of lengths of M2 to M3 about 3:1; paroral membrane extending to above level of M2; one contractile vacuole pore at the end of SK1; marine habitat. Since no diagnosis according to modern investigation is available for the genus Sathrophilus, a new definition is supplied: dorsoventrally flattened, elongated Cinetochilidae with Tetrahymena-like buccal apparatus and bipartite M1; paroral membrane slightly curved, terminating anteriorly to about level of M1/M2; buccal field above the equatorial level; postoral kineties and groups of kinetosomes (scutica) present; having a distinctly long caudal bristle and one conspicuous, cilia-free apically plate. The systematic position of Sathrophilus is briefly discussed which, based on the morphological and morphogenetic characters of Sathrophilus holtae, appears to be a loxocephalid rather than a scuticociliate or a hymenostomatid. In addition, a synonym is recognized, i.e. Paradexiotricha, and a new combination is suggested: Sathrophilus puytoraci (Grolière 1975) nov. comb. [basionym: Paradexiotricha puytoraci Grolière, 1975]