Report of epibiont ciliates (Ciliophora) found on meiofauna from Mumbai and adjacent coastal areas of India

Abstract

The article describes nine suctorian epibiont ciliates, viz. Limnoricus ceter Jankowski, 1981, Thecacineta calix (Schr�der, 1907), Thecacineta sp., Thecacineta urceolata Liao & Dovgal, 2015, Lecanophrya truncata (Collin, 1909), Acineta tuberosa Ehrenberg, 1834, Acinetides gruberi Curds, 1985, and Trematosoma rotunda (Allg�n, 1952), as well as two peritrich ciliates viz. Cothurnia recurva Clapar�de & Lachmann, 1858 and Cothurnia sp. from Mumbai and adjacent coastal areas, West coast of India. All these species are reported here for the first time from Mumbai and adjacent coastal areas. Lecanophrya truncata is reported here for the first time from the Indian Ocean. Thecacineta urceolata is reported here for the first time on harpacticoid copepod, earlier all reports were on nematodes. Cothurnia recurva is reported here for the first time as epibiont on tanaids. The notes on the taxonomy and nomenclature of rare suctorian genus Lecanophrya are also provided.