Report of ciliate epibionts (Ciliophora, Suctorea) on meiobenthic invertebrates from the Indian coast near Karwar, Karnataka

Abstract

The article describes four epibiont suctorian ciliates, viz. Thecacineta cothurnioides (Collin, 1909) and Trematosoma rotunda (Allgén, 1952) on the nematode Tricoma sp., Thecacineta calix (Schröder, 1907) and Acineta tuberosa Ehrenberg, 1834 on the harpacticoid copepod, from the Karwar coast of India (Karnataka state), the Arabian Sea. Trematosoma rotunda is reported here first time as epibiont on the genus Tricoma representative. The systematic positions of the found suctorian species, their brief descriptions, measurements, and data on their distribution, hosts and localisations at the host body are presented.