Kuehneltiella terricola gen. nov., sp. nov. — a carnivorous ciliate (Protozoa,Ciliophora) from a sandy soil in Australia

Summary The morphology and biology of the colpodid ciliate Kuehneltiella terricola gen. nov., sp. nov. has been investigated using living organisms, various silver impregnation methods, and scanning electron microscopy. The new species has been isolated in soil from central Australia and might be endemic to this continent. The new genus Kuehneltiella differs from its nearest relative, Bresslaua, in having a right oral polykinetid composed of a single row of dikinetids. A reinvestigation of Lynn's slides of Bresslaua insidiatrix showed that, contrary to the statement of Lynn (1979), this species has a typic colpodid right oral polykinetid, i.e., composed of many short, disordered kineties. A brief review of the literature suggests that simple, single-rowed, right oral polykinetids are apomorphic in the colpodids s. str. Further, this special character has obviously evolved independently several times within the class Colpodea and even within the colpodids s. str. An illustrated key to the genera of the family Colpodidae is provided.Dedicated to the late Prof. Dr. W. Kühnelt