Monography of the Hypotricha (Ciliophora). Volume 6

The hypotrichous ciliates are one of the three major groups of the spirotrichs (Euplotida, Oligotricha, Hypotricha). They are widely distributed in freshwater, in the sea, and in terrestrial habitats. Since several years, the hypotrichs are one of the most intensely investigated group of ciliates. The project purports the sixth and final part of the Monograph of the Hypotricha. Three volumes are already published in the Springer book series Monographiae Biologicae (MB; Editor H.J. Dumont & M.J.A. Werger), namely the Oxytrichidae (Berger 1999, MB 78: 1092 pages; not funded), the Urostyloidea (Berger 2006, MB 85: 1319 pp; FWF project 14778), and the Amphisiellidae and Trachelostylidae (Berger 2008, MB 88: 753 pp; APART project of the Austrian Academy of Sciences). Volume 4 , the Gonostomatidae and Kahliellidae (Berger 2010, MB 90: 757 pp, in press; FWF project 20569 [Gonostomatidae and a part of the Kahliellidae] and APART-project [part of the Kahliellidae]), is in press. The penultimate volume (the Uroleptidae and the Keronopsidae; FWF project 20569) is in progress and will be published in 2011. Volume 6 of the Monograph of the Hypotricha will contain the genera not yet reviewed in volumes 1-5, that is, mainly the "twisted" taxa (e.g., Strongylidium, Spirofilum, Hypotrichidium). In addition, the last volume will comprise an updated key to all groups treated in volumes 1-6. The project comprises the following points: " The critical revision of the available data comprises the major part of the project. The experience of the applicant (many publications about hypotrichs and other ciliates, inter alia, 15 books with more than 9300 printed pages) and comprehensive preliminary works (e.g., indexation of more than 6600 papers about hypotrichs to species level; making of an updated index to all names of hypotrichs at www.protozoology.com; making of a bibliography) simplify, respectively, are prerequisite to write such a comprehensive book series. " Additional investigations (morphology; cell division; phylogenetic analyses; molecular biological analyses in cooperation with the Prof. Stoeck, University of Kaiserslautern) on some few species. The monograph of the Hypotricha (in total about 5500 pp; volumes 1-4 in total 3918 pp) is not only an important reference book for taxonomists dealing with this group, but also a comprehensive source of information for biologists of other disciplines, for example, ecology, molecular biology, physiology. Environmental protection workers (e.g., in the water quality management) need not waste a lot of time to search for the many individual papers which are distributed in many journals from throughout the world. The Monograph is written in English and therefore usable for everyone worldwide.

The major goal of the present project (1 person, 3 years, 20 h per week) was to write the final volume of a monographic series about the hypotrichous ciliates. Ciliates are microorganisms (mostly 0.050.30 mm long) which have a nucleus composed of two parts, the macronucleus and the micronucleus. Hypotrichs are mainly characterized by (i) cirri (= bundles of cilia) on the ventral side; (ii) a prominent oral apparatus composed of an adoral zone and two undulating membranes; and (iii) rows of bristles (= usually short, stiff cilia) on the dorsal side. Hypotrichs have a worldwide distribution and live in all major habitats, namely freshwater (lakes, ponds, running waters), saltwater (sea, salt lakes), and soil. Research on hypotrichs started with Otto Friedrich Müller who published his main results in 1773 and 1786. In the 1800s, Ehrenberg, Stein, and several other workers from Europe and North America (e.g., Stokes) described many species from limnetic and marine habitats. In the early 20th century, Alfred Kahl a German teacher wrote the last detailed revision (about 130 pages) of this group of ciliates. Since then, many further new species have been described, mainly from terrestrial habitats (for example by the Foissner-group, Austria) and marine sites in the Yellow Sea, China (Song-group). The first volume of the series was published in 1999 (Oxytrichidae), the second in 2006 (Urostyloidea), the third in 2008 (Amphsiellidae and Trachelostylidae), and the fourth in 2011 (Gonostomatidae and Kahliellidae). The penultimate part will appear in 2014 and deals mainly with two difficult groups, the Uroleptidae and Keronopsidae. The last volume treats all taxa not yet revised in the previous volumes, among others those species that have a twisted body. An important part of volume 6 will be a key to all taxa revised in the six-volume treatise. Other major parts are introductions to the groups and details about synonymy, nomenclature, taxonomy, morphology, and occurrence and ecology of each species. In addition, for each species almost all figures published so far as well as some original data are included so that the user gets a comprehensive overview about the biology of the hypotrichs without searching more than 7.000 papers published since 1758, the starting point of zoological nomenclature. The whole series will comprise more than 5000 pages. Besides volume 6, six peer-reviewed, multi-authored papers dealing with sophisticated taxonomic problems of hypotrichs result from the present project. Molecular data in combination with detailed analyses of morphological and ontogenetic features indicated that some species have been misclassified previously. It is estimated that only a small part (about 800 valid species) of all existing species of hypotrichs has been discovered so far. Consequently, the phylogenetic relationships within the group are not yet fully understood although there are some taxa which seem to have a stable position within the many trees published each year. Thus, the monographic series on the hypotrichs is only a preliminary study summarizing the hypotrich research of the past 250 years. However, the treatise, including volume 6, is not only important for basic research, but it is also a usable tool for practitioners who, for example, have to evaluate the quality of running waters and lakes. Last but not least, it should be mentioned that the series could never have been written without the generous support by the Austrian Science Fund (3 projects) and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (1 project). For more details on the project, see http://www.protozoology.com/Monograph_volume_6/index.html