“Hitchhicking with invertebrates”: two reports of epibiosis by peritrich ciliates on ostracods and hydrachnid mites in tanks of epiphytic bromeliads from south Brazil

Abstract

Temporary waters are common environments found in physical and biological substrates. Among them, some bromeliads species are known to hold water in their tanks, in a habitat called phytotelmata. Phytotelmata serve as habitats for several organisms, from bacteria and protists to arthropods and anurans. Peritrich ciliates are often found as epibionts on aquatic invertebrates in these environments. Here, we report two cases of epibiosis involving Lagenophrys sp. attached to ostracods (Elpidium spp.) and Rhabdostyla sp. colonizing hydrachnid mites in the tanks of two bromeliad species. In our analysis, we measured the frequency of epibiosis considering the presence of both basibiont and epibiont in the samples. The results shown a signifi cant difference between Elpidium sp. and Lagenophrys sp. compared to hydrachnid mites and Rhabdostyla sp. (87.5% and 19%, respectively), supported by the Kruskal-Walis test (p = 0.0003, Chi-square = 9.687). These reports are important since the knowledge of phytotelmata communities from tropical and subtropical areas is incipient, although it has been increasing over the last years. It also shows that epibiosis doesn't always represent a benefi cial relationship. These two epibiosis systems found in bromeliad tanks raise questions about organism's dispersal throughout other phytotelmata and other temporary water habitats.

New records of phoresy of Elpidium (Ostracoda: Limnocytheridae) by anurans in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…The occurrence of Elpidium ostracods in Brazil has been confirmed for several localities in the south, southeast, and northeast regions, all within the Atlantic Forest (Pinto and Purper 1970, Lantyer-Silva et al 2016, Malfatti et al 2022, Pereira et al 2022, 2023. In other localities, ostracods identified only to class have been reported from bromeliads (Mestre et al 2001).…”