Occurrence of peritrich ciliates on the limnic oligochaete<i>Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri</i>(Oligochaeta, Tubificidae) in the neotropics

Abstract

Site preference and spatial and temporal occurrence of the peritrich ciliate Rhabdostyla sp. colonizing oligochaetes of the species Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri were investigated along a polluted stream in Brazil. Three patterns of site preference of the ciliates on the oligochaetes were observed, with the location of Rhabdostyla sp. predominantly on the posterior region of L. hoffmeisteri. The occurrence of the epibionts on the oligochaetes was spatially and temporally heterogeneous. The results are discussed in terms of the possible causes of the ciliates' preference for the posterior region of the tubificids, and the factors related to the heterogeneous spatial and temporal patterns.