46 · “PROTIST–2016” correspondance analysis to identify a microhabitat two species that also infect orthopterans belonging preference. Except for the head, pleopods and telson, to the same suborder (Ensifera) but different lagenophryid ciliates were attached to 2-9 amphipod families and infraorder (Gryllidea) and belonging body regions, and greatest prevalence was found on to the Old World. These species of Leidyana also coxae, followed by pereiopods. For Cuitzeo Lake possess epimerites resembling the ones found of individuals the total L. patina loricae abundance Leidyana sp. The three species measurements was from 617-1165, being the coxae with the highest comparison was made using a one-way ANOVA values (626), and for Xochimilco Lake L. patina and a correspondence analysis (n=20 each sample). showed a highly significative preference for coxae We found significative differences in the epimerite for their attachment (X2=1752.01, P<0.0001); we length and width, considered as an important also obtained the same highly significant result for character for the eugregarines taxonomy to genus Cuitzeo Lake symbiotic system (with X2=1317.8, P and species level identification. Additionally we < 0.0001). These results could be explained by the show the first record of a species of genus Leidyana shape and function of appendages of amphipods, parasitizing the gut lumen of an orthopteran of the providing the water flow derived by host movements infraorder Tettigoniidea, family Tettigonidae, as and swimming, carrying food and oxygen for sym- well for Mexico. Key words: eugregarines, Mexico, biotic ciliate. Leidyana. Acknowledgements. To Programa de Apoyo a Acknowledgments: To Biol. Margarita Reyes Santos Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnoló- for her advice in the stain techniques. gica (PAPIIT-DGAPA-UNAM), for the funds to project IN229811 for Cuitzeo Lake samples SOME NOTES ON THE MORPHOLOGY, GEO- collection. To all participants of PAPIIT IN229811 GRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION AND 18S rRNA project for their support in samples collection, GENE SEQUENCE OF A FRESHWATER OXY- especially to Biól. M. Reyes and M. C. Maricela TRICHID CILIATE (HYPOTRICHIA: OXY- Vicencio, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, for TRICHIDAE) FROM MEXICO technical procedures. Méndez-Sánchez Daniel1, Mayén-Estrada Rosa- ura1, Hu Xiaozhong2, Luo Xiaotian2, Song Weibo2 COMPARATIVE MORPHOMETRY OF LEIDY- 1 - Laboratorio de Protozoología, Facultad de Ci- ANA SP. (EUGREGARINORIDA) AND ITS encias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, FIRST RECORD IN CONOCEPHALUS IC- Av. Universidad 3000 Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 TUS (ORTHOPTERA: ENSIFERA: TETTIGO- Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México NIIDAE) FROM MEXICO 2 - Laboratory of Protozoology, Institute of Evolution Medina-Durán J.H.1, Mayén-Estrada R.1, Mariño- and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Pérez R.2, Song H.2 Qingdao 266003, China 1 - Laboratorio de Protozoología, Departamento [email protected] de Biología Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias, Species of genus Oxytricha are characterized by 18 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito frontal-ventral-transverse cirri, one right and one Exterior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Av. Universidad left row of marginal cirri, undulating membranes 3000, C.P. 04510, Ciudad de México, México and dorsal kineties usually in Oxytricha-pattern, 2 - Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, and also the presence of caudal cirri. We collected College Station, Texas, USA some samples from a Mexican freshwater lake [email protected] and we isolated Oxytricha granulifera (Foissner & Leidyana is a genus of apicomplexan eugregarine Adam, 1981). Our individuals presented six dorsal inhabiting the digestive tract of insects, mainly kineties compared with the Austrian population lepidopterans and orthopterans. Its classification (with five dorsal kineties) collected in a terrestrial is mainly based on the shape of their epimerite, environment. All available records of O. granulifera protomerite, deuteromerite and oocyst, and also were plotted and obtained a broad geographic dis- on their gametocyst dehiscence. Nevertheless, tribution. Considering the 18S rRNA gene sequence, morphometrical data of the species belonging to our species grouped with other O. granulifera strains this genus have been also considered in order to and populations available in GenBank. Due to the establish reliable descriptions but is not a main number of dorsal kineties we propose that Mexican criterion for its identification. In the present population could be considered like a subspecies of work we compared the morphometric attributes O. granulifera. of Leidyana sp. a parasite of Conocephalus ictus Acknowledgements: To Posgrado en Ciencias collected in Tlanchinol, Hidalgo, Mexico, with Biológica UNAM and CONACyT for the grant to Protistology · 47

D. Méndez-Sánchez. To IRCN-BC for the grant to [email protected] D. Méndez-Sánchez for a short stay at Laboratory Cryptosporidium spp. display a number of unusual of Protozoology OUC. Special thanks to Miss traits, distinct from other apicomplexans; notably Chundi Wang and Mr. Zhishuai Qu (Laboratory of a smaller genome and the absence of an essential Protozoology, OUC) for their technical assistance organelle, the apicoplast. There are also intra-species in the molecular procedures and staining protocols differences, such as a reduced mitochondrion in respectively. We thankful to people from Tziscao, C. parvum and C. hominis, in size and functions. Chiapas, who allowed us recollected samples. Studying these organisms holds great potential for our understanding of how the apicomplexans DIVERSITY OF THECAMOEBID AMOEBAE diverged. Studies of Cryptosporidium are inhibited (AMOEBOZOA: DISCOSEA: THECAMOE- by a limited selection of in-vitro culturing systems, BIDAE) with short lifespans and production volumes. Using Mezentsev Y.S. a novel cell line for propagation we have seen a Saint-Peterburg State University significant increase in parasite production volume [email protected] as well as a longer lifespan, which have enabled Amoebae of the family Thecamoebidae are widely the development of many new techniques for distributed in the different environments: salt and studying Cryptosporidium and its cell biology and fresh water and soil. These protists are relatively biochemistry. Amongst these new techniques is easy to isolate and cultivate. They are relatively the development of NMR and Mass spectrometry easy determining to genus, or even to species, thus protocols, which have been optimised to examine representing a convenient object for many kinds of the metabolic flux of the parasite, as well as studies. The frequency of occurrence of species is investigating the role of the mitosome. We have very different: there are rather common ones like also acquired many electron microscopy (EM) Thecamoeba quadrilineata, T. similis and T. orbis as images of the parasite during its life cycle, identifying well as numerous species known from few findings details of structures at levels previously unseen in or never re- isolated since initial description. Many the literature. Furthermore, using Immuno-EM of these species were studied only at the light- we have shown the first experimental evidence of microscopic level and require investigation with the function of the mitosome in C. parvum, with modern methods, including electron microscopy the localisation of iron sulphur cluster biosynthesis and molecular studies (this especially concerns the proteins. genus Thecamoeba and genera of unclear systematic position like Pseudothecamoeba and Thecochaos). DIVERSITY AND TEMPORAL DYNAMICS Our studies show that “hotspot” of Thecamoeba OF CRYPTOMYCOTA AND APHELIDA, TWO diversity is terrestrial habitats – soil, grass, dry leaves OVERLOOKED GROUPS OF PARASITES IN and surface of trees. During our studies we isolated FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS 20 strains of Thecamoeba; some were identified as Moreira D.1, Jardillier L.1, Bertolino P.1, Karpov known species (Thecamoeba aesculea, T. similis, T. S.A.2, Lopez-Garcia P.1 quadrilineata and T. terricola) and 6 strains, which 1 - Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS - Uni- represent new species of the genus Thecamoeba. We versity Paris-Sud, Orsay, France have found two new strains of amoebae belonging 2 - Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, to the genus Sappinia. In contrast, amoebae of the St. Petersburg, Russian Federation genus Stenamoeba were never found in terrestrial [email protected] samples. Our data shows that species diversity Basal-branching fungi, especially chytrids, are of thecamoebid amoebae remains considerably important heterotrophic members of aquatic underexplored. microbial food chains, especially in freshwater. Supported with Russian Science Foundation grant More recently, two additional groups very distantly 14-14-00474. related to fungi, Cryptomycota (or Rozellomycota) and Aphelida, have also been found to be ubiquitous ESTABLISHING CRYPTOSPORIDIUM AS A members of freshwater microbial communities. MODEL FOR STUDYING THE BIOLOGY Together with the Microsporidia, they form the AND EVOLUTION OF APICOMPLEXANS recently described superphylum Opisthosporidia. AND UNIQUE ORGANELLES All known opisthosporidian species are parasites Miller C., Brown I., Howard M., Michaelis M., of very diverse eukaryotic hosts. Remarkably, both Tsaousis A. cryptomycetes and aphelids are able to feed by University of Kent, UK phagotrophy, a chief difference with microsporidia