Some ciliates from the marine wood boring isopod Sphaeroma treubia

Abstract

Seven ectocommensalic ciliates, namely, Vorticella companula, Zoothamnium rigidum, Cothurnia gammari, Legenophrys cochinensis sp. nov., Epistylis gammari, Folliculina producta and Foliculina boltoni, all first-time recorded from the wood-boring isopod genus Sphaeroma, are described. These were collected from the appendages and body proper of S. terebrans, S. annandalei and S. triste from the southwest coast of India. Legenophrys cochinensis, because of its host specificity and distinct characters, is treated as a new species under the order Peritrichida and is described in more detail