Four New Fuscheriid Soil Ciliates (Ciliophora: Haptorida) from Four Biogeographic Regions

Fuscheriid haptorids are characterized by meridionally extending ciliary rows clearly separated from the dikinetidal circumoral kinety; a two- or three-rowed dorsal brush; and oral basket rods (nematodesmata) originating from both, the circumoral dikinetids and from some oralized monokinetids in the anterior portion of the ciliary rows. Using standard morphological methods, we describe four new fuscheriid taxa, each discovered in a specific biogeographic region. Fuscheriides tibetensis nov. gen., nov. spec. has rod-shaped extrusomes and two dorsal brush rows. It is a small (~ 80 × 10 μm), slender ciliate with only seven ciliary rows, and was discovered in grassland soil of southern Tibet, about 4600 m above sea-level. Aciculoplites ethiopiensis nov. gen., nov. spec. has acicular extrusomes and two dorsal brush rows. It is a middle-sized (~ 100 × 30 μm), oblong ciliate with about 22 ciliary rows, and was discovered in floodplain soil from a lake in Ethiopia. Fuscheria uluruensis nov. spec., which we discovered in mud and aeolic soil from pools on top of the Ayers Rock in the red centre of Australia, is unique in having the macronucleus split into about 12 oblong nodules. The nodules originate post-divisionally via the branching macronucleus strand, as in multinucleate spathidiids. Fuscheria nodosa salisburgensis nov. sspec., which was discovered in mud and soil of a meadow pool in Salzburg (Austria), has a long, tortuous macronucleus and about 45 ciliary rows. The resting cyst has an escape apparatus absent from the cyst of F. uluruensis, indicating that Fuscheria is non-monophyletic

Four New Fuscheriid Soil Ciliates (Ciliophora: Haptorida) from Four Biogeographic Regions

Fuscheriid haptorids are characterized by meridionally extending ciliary rows clearly separated from the dikinetidal circumoral kinety; a two- or three-rowed dorsal brush; and oral basket rods (nematodesmata) originating from both, the circumoral dikinetids and from some oralized monokinetids in the anterior portion of the ciliary rows. Using standard morphological methods, we describe four new fuscheriid taxa, each discovered in a specific biogeographic region. Fuscheriides tibetensis nov. gen., nov. spec. has rod-shaped extrusomes and two dorsal brush rows. It is a small (~ 80 × 10 μm), slender ciliate with only seven ciliary rows, and was discovered in grassland soil of southern Tibet, about 4600 m above sea-level. Aciculoplites ethiopiensis nov. gen., nov. spec. has acicular extrusomes and two dorsal brush rows. It is a middle-sized (~ 100 × 30 μm), oblong ciliate with about 22 ciliary rows, and was discovered in floodplain soil from a lake in Ethiopia. Fuscheria uluruensis nov. spec., which we discovered in mud and aeolic soil from pools on top of the Ayers Rock in the red centre of Australia, is unique in having the macronucleus split into about 12 oblong nodules. The nodules originate post-divisionally via the branching macronucleus strand, as in multinucleate spathidiids. Fuscheria nodosa salisburgensis nov. sspec., which was discovered in mud and soil of a meadow pool in Salzburg (Austria), has a long, tortuous macronucleus and about 45 ciliary rows. The resting cyst has an escape apparatus absent from the cyst of F. uluruensis, indicating that Fuscheria is non-monophyletic

Evaluation of Biostimulatory Activity of Commercial Formulations on Three Varieties of Chickpea

Biostimulants are studied as a possible agricultural practice that anticipates the reproductive stages of chickpeas to avoid their coincidence with high temperatures and hydric stress periods. The effect of several types of biostimulants on different chickpea varieties was analyzed. The Blanco Sinaloa chickpea variety showed opposite patterns with respect to biostimulant effect on germination success and vegetative and radicular development when compared with two other chickpea varieties, namely Amelia, a well-known variety, and IMIDRA10, a recently developed variety. Blanco Sinaloa is cultured under water irrigation conditions, while Amelia and IMIDRA10 are used under rainfed conditions. Blanco Sinaloa and IMIDRA10 are Kabuli-type varieties, while Amelia is Desi-type. All varieties emerged 9 days after the sowing, but Amelia nascence was more abundant at the beginning, on day 9. On day 32, the picture was quite different, since Blanco Sinaloa had germinated 100% in practically all treatments, followed by Amelia and IMIDRA10. There were significant differences between plant lengths among the three varieties, since Blanco Sinaloa is much larger than Amelia and IMIDRA10. Blanco Sinaloa was the only variety in which the plant lengths of biostimulant-impregnated seeds were superior to those of untreated plants; that is, it was the only one that was positively affected by biostimulants. Chickpea seeds should be treated with biostimulants such that they are dry for sowing, because the mechanic seeder only works with dry seeds

Epibionts on Hydraena species (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) from high mountain rivers of Pyrenees (Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park), with the description of a new species

Macroinvertebrate samples collected during spring-summer 2013 in high mountain rivers of the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park (Pyrenees) contained several Hydraena species (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) where we found two genera of suctorian ciliates as epibionts: Tokophrya and Discophrya. The individuals of the genus Tokophrya probably belong to species Tokophrya stenostyla, being the first time that this species is observed attached on arthropods. Suctorians of the genus Discophrya were identified as a new species called Discophrya ordesae sp. n. The presence and abundance of epibionts was discussed in the frame of the biological and ecological characteristics of the species of Hydraena where they were found.Peer Reviewe