Cothurnia ceramicola Kahl, 1933

Chatterjee, Tapas, Dovgal, Igor, Vieira, Leandro M., Dutta, Arpita & Nanajkar, Mandar, 2020, Report of ciliate-bryozoan-crustacean hyperepibiosis on crab (Decapoda Brachyura) from west coast of India, Arabian Sea, Zootaxa 4890 (3), pp. 347-360 : 353

Cothurnia ceramicola Kahl, 1933

( Fig. 3 D-2, E; 4 C, D)

Brief description: Marine loricate peritrich ciliate. Lorica, rounded posteriorly with short external stalk, endostyle and short, broad, longitudinally striated mesostyle. There are one or two zooids in the lorica, which extending up to one third of its length beyond aperture. The pellicula of zooids conspicuously striated. Macronucleus band-like, long.

Measurements (in μm, based on two individuals): Lorica length 65–90 (65–77 after Warren & Paynter 1991); lorica width 18–27 (30 after Warren & Paynter 1991); contracted zooid length 38–37; contracted zooid width 14–17; external stalk length 4–19; external stalk diameter 2; endostyle length 5; endostyle width 5; mesostyle length 3; mesostyle width 4.

Remarks: This species was firstly described as an epibiont of the alga Ceramium sp. in the Kiel bay, the Northern Sea ( Kahl 1933, 1935). It was also found on bryozoans Crisia burnea (Linnaeus, 1758) and Cribilina punctata (Hassall, 1841) , the polychaete Spirorbis spirorbis (Linnaeus, 1758) , and the hydrozoan Gonothyrae aloveni (Allman, 1859) ( Precht 1935). Later this species was also reported by Felinska (1965) attached to algae collected near Plymouth, UK.

The Ciliate Cothurnia ceramicola was attached on stalk ( Fig. 3E ) as well on zooidal dilatations ( Fig. 3 D-2) of Triticella pedicellata . This is the first record of this species from the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.

Figures

FIGURE 3. A. Scar and septate condition in stalk of Triticella pedicellata old zooids; B. Origin of stalk of Triticella pedicellata; C. Epibiont Paracineta saifulae on stalk of Triticella pedicellata; D. Ciliate epibiont on Bryozoan zooidal dilatation—1. Paracineta saifulae; 2. Cothurnia ceramicola; E. Many ciliate Cothurnia ceramicola on stalk of Triticella pedicellata.