Morphological characterization and intraspecific variation of Zoothamnium intermedium Precht, 1935 (Ciliophora, Peritrichia) attached to calanoid copepods in the Chesapeake Bay, USA.

A redescription of Zoothamnium intermedium Precht, 1935, a peritrich epibiont on copepods, is provided using specimens colonizing Acartia tonsa and Eurytemora affinis in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Bell-shaped zooids of Z. intermedium ranged in size from 31.2-54.7 microm x 16.7-31.3 microm in vivo. A single contractile vacuole and a "C shaped" macronucleus lie in the upper half of the body. Colonies had up to 30 zooids, but most presented two to four zooids. The single myoneme was continuous from the zooids through the lateral branches and basal stalk, terminating 4-73.2 mm before the attachment point of the colony. The ciliature of Z. intermedium was typical of sessile peritrichs, consisting of an outer haplokinety and an inner polykinety 1 (PK1) that made approximately turns around the peristomial disk before entering the infundibulum. Within the infundibulum, PK 1 was accompanied by polykinetid 2 (PK2) and polykinetid 3 (PK3), each consisting of three kinetosomal rows: PK2 of Z. intermedium terminated adoral to the aboral end of PK1 and had a central row of kinetosomes shorter than the lateral rows. Scanning electron microscopy revealed an annular pattern of pellicular ridges with pellicular pores. Morphological features used in peritrich species identification are quantified for specimens attached to both hosts and compared with other species of Zoothamnium. Statistically significant differences found between specimens attached to A. tonsa and E. affinis may reflect phenotypic plasticity rather than infestation by multiple species of Zoothamnium.