Discophrya lichteinsteinii ( Claparède et Lachmann, 1859 ), Claparede et Lachmann, 1859

Mariño-Pérez, Ricardo, Dovgal, Igor & Mayén-Estrada, Rosaura, 2011, New records of suctorians (Ciliophora: Suctoria) as epibionts of aquatic true bugs (Hemiptera: Prosorrhyncha: Nepomorpha) from two regions: Mexico and Eastern Europe, Zootaxa 2798, pp. 48-60 : 56

Discophrya lichteinsteinii ( Claparède et Lachmann, 1859)

Fig. 1 e.

Suctorian ciliate with flattened, disc-shaped or elongate body. Macronucleus ovoid, centrally located. Contractile clavate tentacles evenly distributed over all edge of body, but in some cases only at apical part. Stalk cup-shaped or elongate, with different length ( Dovgal & Kochin, 1997), uniformly expanding upwards, with transversal folds. There are up to three contractile vacuoles. Reproduction by inversogemmic budding.

Dimensions: body length 25–180; body width 15–160; macronucleus 5–7 x 12–16, stalk length 17–192; stalk diameter 4–7; length of the tentacles 6–28. Previous measurements: body length 29–180; body width 36–130.

Material examined. Found as epibiont of: Ranatra linearis . Ukraine. Small lake in high-water bed of Goryn’ river near village Velyky Tceptcevichi, Rovno region. 11.07.1985. Small lake in high-water bed of river Goryn’ near village Zbuzh, Rovno region. 0 6.07.1985. Plea leachi . Ukraine. River Unava near Fastov city, Kiev Region. 30.05.2004. Ambrysus sp. 2 . Mexico. River Cuichat. State of Puebla. 980 m. a.s.l.. (20° 00’ 32” N; 97° 30’ 46’’ W). 19.03.2010.

Additional records. On Cybister, Dysticus , Graphoderes Thomson , Haliplus Latreille , Peltodytes Régimbart , Brychius Thomson , Graptodytes pictus Fabricius , Hyphydrus ovatus Linnaeus , Coelambus impressopunctatus (Schaller) , Hyphydrus Illiger , and Potamonectes elegans (Panzer) ( Matthes et al. 1988) . Aquatic coleopterans (families Dysticidae, Haliplidae ) ( Matthes et al. 1988). On Astacus Fabricius ( Morado & Small, 1995) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Some epibiotic suctorians of nepomorphans. a. Manuelophrya hannae parasite of peritrich epibiont of Lethocerus sp. (Mexico). b. Pseudogemma pachystyla parasite of Periacineta buckei attached to Ranatra sp. (Mexico). c. Discophrya elongata on Ranatra sp. (Mexico). d. Discophrya gessneri epibiont of Aphelocheirus aestivalis (Ukraine); the insert shows the shape of the stalk. e. Discophrya lichteinsteinii found on Ambrysus sp. (Mexico). f. Empty loricaes of Periacineta notonectae from Corixa sp. (Ukraine). g-i. Periacineta buckei from Ranatra sp., Belostoma sp. and Lethocerus sp., respectively (Mexico).