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Hyalophysa clampi Browning and Landers, 2012 was reexamined to determine all stages in the life cycle of this symbiotic ciliate. The cell feeds as a normal exuviotroph within the exoskeleton of its molted crayfish host but does not encyst following the trophont stage. Trophonts transform into swimming tomont stages, which divide by palintomy over successive divisions, splitting to two cells, separating, and repeating. The divisions cease when the daughter cells attain the size of the infestive tomite stage, which attaches to a new crayfish. This unique life cycle is most similar to the European hermit crab symbiont Polyspira delagei, which forms chains of daughter cells during division. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the unusual presence of two contractile vacuoles in H. clampi, unique among the Apostomatida, and provided ultrastructural details to better understand light microscopy silver staining. The genus diagnosis for Hyalophysa is modified herein to accommodate this new life cycle. |
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