Tokophrya wenzeli Matthes & Stiebler, 1970

Chаtterjee, Tаpаs, Dovgаl, Igor, Pešić, Vlаdimir & Zаwаl, Аndrzej, 2018, A checklist of epibiont suctorian and peritrich ciliates (Ciliophora) on halacarid and hydrachnid mites (Acari: Halacaridae & Hydrachnidia), Zootaxa 4457 (3), pp. 415-430 : 421-422

Tokophrya wenzeli Matthes & Stiebler, 1970

Records on hydrachnid mites: Motaş (1928) observed the mass infestation of mites by suctorians in ponds in the vicinity of Dombes just north of Lyon and in ponds at river Rhone between Аoste and Sant-Didier, southeast of France. Suctorian ciliates were observed by the same author on water mites Hydryphantes dispar (Schaub, 1888) , Limnesia fulgida Koch, 1836 , L. maculata (O. F. Müller, 1776) , L. undulata (O. F. Müller, 1776) , Piona pusilla (Neuman, 1875) , P. obturbans (Piersig, 1896) , Pionopsis lutescens (Hermann, 1804) and Hydrochoreutes krameri Piersig, 1896 . He provided the figures of suctorians ( Motas 1928, Fig. 1) but did not provide any descriptions and did not identify the species.

The species observed by Motaş was described as a new species by Matthes & Stiebler (1970) from water bodies of Germany as Tokophrya wenzeli Mattheset & Stiebler, 1970 . The authors found the species at pedipalps and legs of mites Limnesia undulate (O.F. Müller, 1776) , L. maculata (O.F. Müller, 1776) , Piona conglobata (Koch, 1836) , P. variabilis (Koch, 1842) , Arrenurus globator (O.F. Müller, 1776) and A. stecki Koenike, 1894 .

Dovgal (1987) observed T. wenzeli in Lake Staraja Desna near Makoshino, Chernigov region, Ukraine at Hydrachna sp. Dovgal (1991) also mentioned the species on Eylais sp. and Limnesia fulgida, Koch, 1836 in water bodies of basins of rivers Western Bug and Pripyat, Ukraine.

Dovgal et al. (2012) observed T. wenzeli on Eylais sp. from river-bed of Goryn’ river near the village Stavok, Rovno region, Ukraine, on Limnesia fulgida from floodplain lake near Goryn’ river near village Zbuzh, Rovno region and on Eylais saratowi Piersig, 1904 from a floodplain lake at the left bank of Dnieper in Kiev vicinity, Ukraine.

Dovgal et al. (2012) also reported T. wenzeli on Forelia variegator (Koch, 1837) and Hygrobates longipalpis (Hermann, 1804) from Lake Binovskie in a neighborhood of Szczecin (Poland).

Dovgal et al. (2012) reported T. wenzeli on Hygrobates zawali Pešić, 2015 (= Hygrobates diversiporus

(Sokolow, 1927)) in the ancient lake Ohrid, in neighborhood of Ohrid city in FYROM.

New finds: We present some more new records of T. wenzeli from Poland:

Locality : River Krąpiel near Dalewo, Poland (53°20'03.5"N, 15°11'11.2"E); biotope: marginal pool, 0.2 m depth, sand; host species: water mite Lebertia oblonga Koenike, 1911 ; localization: legs; intensity: 10 ciliates per host individual. Date of collection: 12.09.2010, collector: А. Zawal.

Locality : Sękacz Lake, Poland (53°56'56.7"N, 17°09'56.9"E); biotope: 1 m depth, sand; host species: water mite Forelia liliacea (Müller, 1776) ; localization: legs; Intensity: 6 ciliates per host individual. Date of collection: 0 1.08.2014, collector: А. Zawal.

Locality : Kwisno Duże Lake, Poland (54°04'31.9"N, 17°06'36.0"E); biotope: 4 m depth, mud; host species: water mite Forelia liliacea (Müller, 1776) ; localization: legs and idiosoma; Intensity: 1-6 ciliates per host. Date of collection: 0 2.08.2014, collector: А. Zawal.

Locality : Kwisno Duże Lake (54°04'31.9"N, 17°06'36.0"E); biotope: 4 m depth, mud; host species: water mite Limnesia fulgida Koch, 1836 ; localization: legs; Intensity: 3 ciliates per host individual. Date of collection: 0 2.08.2014, collector: А. Zawal.

Remarks: Tokophrya wenzeli was not observed on the hydrachnid mites from lotic water bodies. It seems likely that the species is a usual commensal of freshwater mites from stagnant water reservoirs (Dovgal & Pešić 2012).