Urnula turpissima Kormos, 1958

Dovgal, Igor & Pešić, Vladimir, 2014, First records of ciliate suctorian epibionts onHydraena (Coleoptera) from South Korea, Ecologica Montenegrina 1 (1), pp. 1-5 : 4

Urnula turpissima Kormos, 1958

( Figs. 2 B-E)

Diagnosis. Suctorian ciliate with stylotheca-type lorica. The trophont cell body is spherical or ellipsoidal, clamped to the mouth of stylotheca. Macronucleus central, large, spherical. The tentacle is single, long, flexible and agile. Stylotheca is spherical or slightly elongated. The upper part of the lorica has four processes, which adjoins each other along the entire length except the central part forming a chinked mouth, resulting that the apical edge of the lorica is plicate from the lateral view. Reproduction by semicircumvaginative budding. The swarmer is ellipsoid with slightly concave ventral surface and with 8 transversal ciliary rows ( Fig. 2E ).

Measurements (in µm): stylotheca heigth 30; stylotheca diameter 26 (15-30 after Kormos 1958); body diameter 10-20 (after Kormos 1958); length of tentacle 60-85 (after Kormos 1958).

Distribution and host prevalence. The species was described from a waterbody in Szeged district ( Hungary, type locality), and later on found in different parts of Europe and Asia ( Jankowski 2007). Urnula turpissima is ectoparasitic on suctorian ciliates. The known hosts of this species includes following species: Dendrosoma radians Erenberg, 1838 , D. capitata (Perez, 1903) , Stylophrya polymorpha Swarczewsky, 1928 , Acineta karamani Hadzi, 1940 , Metacineta longipes (Mereschkowsky, 1877) . The specimens from South Korea were found ectoparasitic on Periacineta hydrochi ( Matthes, 1954) (new host).

Figures

Figure 2.A photograph ofPeriacineta hydrochi (Matthes, 1954), fromHydraena sp. B-EUrnula turpissima Kormos, 1958 (C-E after Kormos 1958): B photograph of specimen attached onPeriacineta hydrochi, from South Korea; C trophont, lateral view;D trophont, top view;E swarmer (after Kormos, 1958). Scale bar = 20µm (A-B).