A taxonomic study of sessile peritrichs (Ciliophora: Peritricha) associated with crustacean fish ectoparasites in South Africa

Abstract

Three new and four known species of sessile peritrichs were identified from the crustacean ectoparasites, Lernaea barnimiana (Hartman, 1870), L. cyprinacea  Linnaeus, 1758 and Dolops ranarum(Stuhimann, 1891) from various fish hosts in South Africa The new species described are: Epistylis cyprinaceae sp. n., E. epibamimiana sp. n. and Epistylis magna sp. n. Comparative descriptions of the four known species are given, i.e. Vorticella convallaria (Linnaeus, 1758), V. microstoma Ehrenberg, 1830, Epistylis branchiophila Perty, 1852 and E. nympharum (Engelmann, 1862).