The tintinnid ciliate Stenosemella pacifica Kofoid and Campbell, 1929 was occasionally recorded from the pelagial of temperate, subtropical, and tropical neritic waters. Since its cytological features were unknown, the species is redescribed from material collected in the pelagial of the Irish Sea, using live observation, protargol impregnation, and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the species diagnosis is improved to include new characteristics, e.g. the somatic ciliary pattern comprising a ventral, dorsal, and posterior kinety as well as a right, left, and lateral ciliary field. The stomatogenesis of S. pacifica is typical for species with such a complex somatic ciliary pattern: the oral primordium develops hypoapokinetally posterior to the lateral ciliary field. The presence of windows in the lorica collar of Stenosemella ventricosa, the type of the genus, necessitates (i) an improved genus diagnosis, (ii) a synonymization of the genus Luminella Kofoid and Campbell, 1939, and (iii) a transfer of the Luminella species to the genus Stenosemella, including Luminella neocalifornica, which becomes Stenosemella neocalifornica nov. comb. Owing to the lack of a description, Stenosemella crateri is considered a nomen nudum. KeywordsBiogeography; ciliary pattern; morphology; ontogenesis; taxonomy; Tintinnina; ultrastructure THE classification of the about 1,200 tintinnid choreotrichid species is merely based on lorica morphology, as cytological features, including the ciliary pattern, are only known in 17 species (Agatha and Riedel-Lorjé 2006;Blatterer and Foissner 1990;Cai et al. 2006;Choi et al. 1992;Foissner, Berger, and Schaumburg 1999;Foissner and O'Donoghue 1990;Foissner and Wilbert 1979;Petz, Song, and Wilbert 1995;Sniezek et al. 1991;Snyder and Brownlee 1991;Song and Wilbert 1989;Wasik and Mikozajczyk 1994). Since tintinnid loricae are polymorphic due to environmental factors and the life cycle (Bakker and Phaff 1976;Bernatzky, Foissner, and Schubert 1981;Biernacka 1965;Davis 1978Davis , 1981Gold and Morales 1975b;Laval-Peuto 1981;Laval-Peuto and Brownlee 1986), the reconstruction of the phylogenetic relationships and hence the establishment of a natural classification require MATERIALS AND METHODS CollectionSamples were taken with a 20-μm plankton net from the upper 50 cm of the Irish Sea in front of the Port Erin Marine Laboratory (University of Liverpool) on the Isle of Man in May 2002 at a salinity of about 35‰ and a temperature of about 12 °C. Taxonomic studiesCell movement was studied in a Petri dish (about 6 cm across; water depth about 2.5 cm) under a dissecting microscope at about 20 °C. Cell morphology was investigated under a compound microscope equipped with a high-power oil immersion objective as well as bright-field and interference contrast optics. Protargol impregnation followed the protocol of Song and Wilbert (1995). For scanning electron microscopy, cells were fixed for 30 min in a modified Parducz' solution made of six parts of 2% osmium tetroxide (OsO 4 , w/v) in artifi...

Bioluminescent seas caused by blooms of the dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans are a famous scenic attraction in the Matsu archipelago near the Chinese coast in the northern part of the Taiwan Strait. The relationship between the abundance of N. scintillans and various environmental factors was examined in the subtropical coastal waters of these islands from April to December, 2016. N. scintillans disappeared after June 20th, when the sea water temperature exceeded 27°C. A strong inverse correlation between N. scintillans and diatoms in PCA analysis indicated that diatoms suffer high grazing pressure from N. scintillans. N. scintillans appeared most abundantly during the flood season, when diatoms are most abundant. Strong inverse correlations between N. scintillans and the wind speed and wind direction in PCA further point to the effect of wind on the accumulation of cells.

The marine oligotrichous ciliate Spirotontonia taiwanica n. sp. isolated from the coastal waters of northeastern Taiwan is reported, using live observation, protargol preparations and molecular data. The new species differs from the most similar, known congener Spirotontonia turbinata in the following features: (1) lower number of buccal membranelles (11-13 vs. 13-17); (2) higher number of whorls of girdle kinety (2.5 vs. 1.5); (3) lower number of macronuclear nodules (20-31 vs. 28-40); (4) larger cell size (80-104 x 40-72 vs. 44-75 x 29-56 microm); (5) larger anterior cell end to buccal vertex (50 vs. 33 microm); (6) larger ratio of cell length to cell width (1.74 vs. 1.38); (7) the different beginning of the girdle kinety (posterior to the buccal vertex vs. left of the buccal zone portion); and (8) the disappearance of the L-shaped argyrophilic structures in the last half whorl and occasionally the first 1-10 dikinetids (i.e. yes vs. no). The molecular data also reveal two distinct species, deviating by 2% or 33% base pairs.

Red Noctiluca scintillans (RNS) is one of the major species causing red tides and bioluminescence, yet extremely difficult to track due to its ephemeral nature. Here, we show that RNS can be fingerprinted from satellite data due to its unique absorption and scattering properties. Retrospective analysis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data of 2000–2017 over the East China Sea reveals seasonal patterns and interannual changes as well as an increasing RNS bloom trend, all driven by hydrographical and biological factors and possibly by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Unlike earlier reports from field measurements, RNS blooms are found in both coastal and offshore waters of the ECS, to at least 126°E (> 330 km from the Yangtze River mouth). RNS blooms are also found in August and September where water temperature of 28–30 °C is well beyond the earlier reported range of 10–25 °C.

Parastrombidinopsis minima n. sp. is investigated, using live observations, protargol preparations, and molecular data. In living cells, the ranges of cell length are 85-95 microm, cell width 60-70 microm, and oral diameter 40-50 microm. In protargol-impregnated specimens, cell length ranges between 43 and 71 microm, cell width between 23 and 42 microm, and oral diameter between 13 and 24 microm. The numbers of external oral polykinetids are 12-16 and of somatic kineties are 11-13. There are always two ovoid macronuclei (9-16 x 4-9 microm). Based on the analysis of morphologic data, the new species can be placed in the family Strombidinopsidae, but based on the small subunit rRNA gene sequence data, the Parastrombidinopsis species are more closely associated with strobilidiids and tintinnids.