Thuricola, Kent, 1881

Lu, Borong, Ji, Daode, Sheng, Yalan, Song, Weibo, Hu, Xiaozhong, Chen, Xiangrui & Al-Rasheid, Khaled A. S., 2018, New discoveries of the genus Thuricola Kent, 1881 (Ciliophora, Peritrichia, Vaginicolidae), with descriptions of three poorly known species from China, Acta Protozoologica 57 (2), pp. 123-143 : 125

Genus Thuricola Kent, 1881

Hitherto Thuricola has never been defined based on the ciliature information and descriptions of most thuricolas are incomplete. Here, three species of Thuricola were investigated carefully in vivo and their ciliature were revealed for the first time. Thus we provide an improved diagnosis as follows.

Emended diagnosis: One or two zooids within a closeable lorica. Zooid(s) attached to base of lorica directly or via a single stalk. Lorica attached to substrate directly. Valve and junctional membrane present. Infundibular polykinety 3 consisting of three rows of kinetosomes, row 1 of which is distinctly longer than the other two. Silverline system in Vorticella -pattern.