First record of Colpodidium caudatum (Ciliophora, Colpodidiidae) in Europe.

• Main Authors: Rodero Madrid, J., Olmo, José Luis, Esteban, Genoveva F
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/39205/; https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/39205/1/1-s2.0-S1434461023000573-main.pdf

The present study documents the discovery of the first European population of Colpodidium caudatum (Ciliophora, Colpodidiidae) in a water drain in a school playground in Manzanares (Ciudad Real, Spain). This species has been documented on every continent except Antarctica and Europe, until now. The ciliate was isolated from wet run-off soil collected from the water drain and was grown in semi-permanent cultures in the laboratory. The infraciliature of the ciliate was revealed using silver carbonate impregnation and cell measurements were taken from living and silver-impregnated specimens. A comparative analysis of published data from various populations of C. caudatum across the globe showed high intraspecific morphological variability in this species. To differentiate between species within the Colpodidium genus, a dichotomous key is presented. This investigation shows that C. caudatum is a ciliate that is found all over the world and is particularly associated with terrestrial habitats that are periodically flooded.