High infestation and phylogenetic position of Epistylis sp. (Ciliophora, Peritrichia) on Aegla serrana Buckup & amp; Rossi (Crustacea, Anomura) from southern Brazil

An Acad Bras Cienc. 2024 Mar 18;96(1):e20230739. doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202420230739. eCollection 2024.ABSTRACTHigh infestations of epibiont ciliates on vertebrates or invertebrates are normally related to aquaculture tanks or similar environments, and the importance of this relationship in natural habitats is often disregarded. Here, we describe the first record of high infestation of ciliates on Aegla serrana in South America and conduct a brief morphological and phylogenetic characterization of these ciliates. Our findings confirm that cases of high infestation of ciliates on metazoans can indeed occur in natural environments.PMID:38511746 | DOI:10.1590/0001-3765202420230739
Source: An Acad Bras Cienc - Category: Science Authors: Source Type: research