• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.280-286
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• 2021

During a field survey on Korean coastal marine waters, two ciliates belonging to the genera Pseudovorticella Foissner & Schiffmann, 1975 and Frontonia Ehrenberg, 1838 in the class Oligohymenophorea de Puytorac et al., 1974, were collected. Even though the two genera are very common in the aquatic ecosystems, they had been superficially studied in Korean habitats. Using the observation of living cells and specimens impregnated by protargol, silver carbonate, and silver nitrate, two newly recorded ciliate are identified as P. paramarina Sun, Ji, Warren & Song, 2009 and F. ocularis Bullington, 1939. A brief diagnosis, remark, and comprehensive micrographs are provided for each species.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.380-388
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• 2019

We collected ciliate species from diverse habitats (brackish water, marine water, and terrestrial ecosystems) composed of estuarine, coast, and moss samples during 2017-2018 in Korea. The morphology and infraciliature of these species were examined and identified based on the observations of living cells and protargol impregnated specimens. Of the ciliates we identified, we described eight unrecorded species in Korea as followings: class Heterotrichea - Condylostoma vorax, Peritromus kahli; class Protocruziea - Protocruzia labiata; class Spirotrichea - Hemiamphisiella granulifera; class Litostomatea - Loxophyllum chinense; class Phyllopharyngea - Trochilioides recta; and class Oligohymenophorea -Cohnilembus verminus, Uronemella filificum. Among them, Protocruzia labiata is a poorly known species. In this paper, we provide the improved diagnoses and brief descriptions of the species with their microphotographs. The taxonomic classifications of the eight species are summarized as six classes, eight orders, five families, and eight genera. These voucher slides with protargol impregnated specimens have been deposited in the National Institutes.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.301-320
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• 2021

During a field survey of indigenous Korean ciliates, we collected 21 unrecorded species from aquatic (freshwater and brackish water [salinity about 1.0‰] samples) and terrestrial(moss and soil samples) habitats. The morphology of these species was studied based on live observation, protargol, silver carbonate and silver nitrate impregnation, and scanning electron microscope. These species belong to seven classes as follows: 1) class Heterotrichea - Blepharisma seculum; 2) class Spirotrichea - Birojimia terricola, Bistichella variabilis, Deviata bacilliformis, Oxytricha paragranulifera, Parabistichella cf. variabilis, Steinia sphagnicola, Stichotricha aculeata, Stylonychia cf. notophora, and Tetmemena bifaria minima; 3) class Armophorea - Metopus es; 4) class Litostomatea - Acropisthium mutabile, Pseudomonilicaryon japonicum, and Rimaleptus alpinus; 5) class Phyllopharyngea - Podophrya bivacuolata; 6) class Nassophorea - Drepanomonas pauciciliata; and 7) class Oligohymenophorea - Dexiostoma campylum, Frontonia atra, Histiobalantium natans viridis, Opisthonecta minima, and Tetrahymena rostrata. Here, we provide a brief diagnosis and remark for each species.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.95-108
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• 2023

Ciliates are unicellular eukaryotes and one of the most abundant and speciose protistan groups. However, their diversity is underestimated, and many new species are waiting for our discovery. During several field surveys conducted from 2018 to 2021 to document indigenous Korean ciliates, 10 unrecorded ciliate species were collected and investigated from freshwater, marine, and semiterrestrial habitats. The morphology of these species was studied based on observation of living and protargol-stained specimens. These species belong to five classes as follows: 1) class Heterotrichea - Peritromus faurei; 2) class Spirotrichea - Heterotachysoma dragescoi, Pseudokeronopsis parasongi, and Certesia quadrinucleata; 3) class Nassophorea - Chilodontopsis depressa; 4) class Prostomatea - Plagiocampa rouxi and Urotricha furcata; and 5) class Oligohymenophorea - Metanophrys similis, Uronema gallicum, and Protocyclidium citrullus. Also, we provide a brief diagnosis, photomicrographs, and information of the locality for each species. Further, we compare each species with the most recent description and with similar congeners.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

During a field survey of Korean marine ciliates, we collected three ciliate species from the eastern coastal waters of the Yellow Sea. Based on the observation of living and protargol and wet silver nitrate stained cells, the ciliates, belonging to the classes Spirotrichea and Oligohymenophorea, were identified as Cardiostomatella vermiformis (Kahl, 1928) Corliss, 1960, Parallelostrombidium paraellipticum Song et al., 2018, and Pleuronema paucisaetosum Pan et al., 2015. Both Parallelostrombidium paraellipticum and Pleuronema paucisaetosum were described only from their type localities, i.e., brackish water, suggesting that they tolerate a broad range of salinity, while Cardiostomatella is marine ciliate and seems to be cosmopolitan. These three species were reported for the first time in Korea. Brief descriptions, remarks to justify their identity and to compare the present isolates with similar taxa, and photomicrographs were provided for the three species.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.246-255
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• 2017

Three freshwater ciliates, Lembadion lucens (Maskell, 1887) Kahl, 1931, L. bullinum ($M{\ddot{u}}ller$, 1786) Perty, 1849, and L. magnum (Stokes, 1887) Kahl, 1931, belonging to the genus Lembadion Perty, 1849 are newly reported from Korea with detailed descriptions and illustrations based on live observation and protargol impregnation. Lembadion lucens is characterized by following characteristics: $52-91{\times}33-64{\mu}m$ body size in vivo; ovoid and slightly asymmetric body shape; 27-49 somatic kineties; and 55-80% of whole pellicle covered with meridional lines with rectangular meshes in posterior portion. Lembadion bullinum is distinguishable from its congeners by its body size of $110-130{\times}60-73{\mu}m$ in vivo; ovoid body shape; oral aperture occupying about four-fifths of ventral side; 48-55 somatic ciliary rows; meridional lines with rectangular meshes except anterior portion (about 16% of body) on pellicle. Lembadion magnum is also characterized by its body size of $70-90{\times}37-50{\mu}m$ in vivo; obliquely asymmetric anterior end of body; oral aperture occupying about more than four-fifths of ventral surface, and opened longitudinally entire ventral surface; 45-61 somatic ciliary rows; meridional lines without rectangular meshes on whole pellicle of body. The present study is the first description of the genus Lembadion from Korea.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• no.spc9
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• pp.10-17
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• 2016

Carchesium polypinum and Vorticella campanula were collected in freshwater ponds and reservoirs on Jindo Island and other places in Korea. These two vorticellids are newly recorded in Korea. The two species are described using live and silver impregnated cell observations, morphometry, line drawings, and microphotographs. Characterizations were based on the following diagnostic features: Carchesium polypinum was observed mainly as a funnel to fanshaped colony, basically dichotomous branching pattern, discontinuous spasmoneme, subconical shaped zooid, J shaped macronucleus, ventrally positioned single contractile vacuole, and pellicular striation with 61-80 rows between the peristomial lip and aboral ciliary wreath, and 18-30 rows between the aboral ciliary wreath and scopula. Vorticella campanula was conspicuously characterized by the broadly bulged peristomial lip, wide conical shaped zooid, J or S shaped macronucleus, ventrally positioned single contractile vacuole and pellicular striation with 64-75 rows between the peristomial lip and aboral ciliary wreath, and 27-41 rows between the aboral ciliary wreath and scopula. We provide redescriptions of two well-known vorticellids with detailed drawings and descriptions of oral ciliatures from Jindo Island and other places on the Korean peninsula.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.251-268
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• 2020

Ciliates are a speciose protozoan group and their diversity is still not well investigated in Korea. From our field surveys, 18 unrecorded ciliate species were collected from a total of nine localities in Korea. The field surveys were conducted in 2018 and 2019, and the unrecorded ciliates were found from terrestrial (moss and soil samples) and inland water (river and lagoon samples) habitats. The morphology of these ciliates was studied using the observation of living and silver impregnated (protargol) specimens. The present species belong to five classes as follows: 1) class Spirotrichea - Gonostomum kuehnelti, Quadristicha setigera, Lamtostyla decorata, L. islandica, L. longa, Anteholosticha brachysticha, Pseudobirojimia muscorum; 2) class Litostomatea - Apocoriplites lajacola, Epispathidium amphoriforme, Protospathidium muscicola, Phialinides australis, Paraenchelys wenzeli, Rimaleptus similis; 3) class Nassophorea - Drepanomonas revoluta; 4) class Colpodea - Bryometopus triquetrus; and 5) class Oligohymenophorea - Cyclidium glaucoma, Epistylis pygmaeum, Pseudovorticella vestita. The globular macronuclear nodules of P. vestita were observed for the first time in the Korean population.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.427-442
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• 2020

We collected indigenous Korean ciliate species from diverse aquatic and terrestrial habitats in 2018 and 2019. The morphology of these ciliates was revealed based on the observations of living cells, and protargol-impregnated and/or silver carbonate-impregnated specimens. During this study, we found 16 previously unrecorded Korean ciliate species, which are as follows: 1) class Heterotrichea - Stentor introversus; 2) class Spirotrichea - Aspidisca orthopogon, Amphisiella sinica, Epiclintes auricularis rarisetus, Apokeronopsis wrighti, Pseudokeronopsis carnea, Trachelostyla pediculiformis, Strombidium apolatum, and Varistrombidium kielum; 3) class Phyllopharyngea - Chlamydodon obliquus, Dysteria aculeata, and Hartmannula angustipilosa; 4) class Litostomatea - Paraspathidium apofuscum; and 5) class Oligohymenophorea - Frontonia angusta solea, Metanophrys sinensis, and Uronemita binucleata. Here, we provide a diagnosis for each species with a brief remark. Among them, the infraciliature of the poorly known species, Stentor introversus and Dysteria aculeata, is described for the first time. Further, we revise the Korean population of Pseudokeronopsis pararubra, which was previously misidentified as Pseudokeronopsis carnea.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.278-286
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• 2022

During a field survey of Korean marine ciliates, we collected Pleuronema marinum from a brackish water sample. It is characterized by the presence of a contractile vacuole in mid-body, rather than the subterminal/ terminal contractile vacuole as in other congeners. The cells were examined in vivo and based on protargol and 'wet' silver nitrate impregnation. In addition, the nuclear 18S rRNA gene was sequenced using a single cell. The Korean population morphologically and molecularly resembles a Chinese population of P. marinum. Historical review of the species concludes that 1) two or more species have been assigned into P. marinum, 2) the position of contractile vacuole (e.g., in mid-body) is a valid character state, and 3) P. marinum is probably a rare species. Here we provide a monographic treatment of P. marinum to clarify the issue and for further studies of relevant species. Considering there are about 40 nominal species and complex nomenclatural acts in the genus Pleuronema, further studies should provide descriptions based on protargol and 'wet' silver impregnation with marker gene(s).