Morphology of Bromeliophrya quadristicha n. spec., an inhabitant of tank bromeliads (Bromeliaceae), and phylogeny of the Bromeliophryidae (Ciliophora, Tetrahymenida).

Using morphological, morphometric, and molecular methods, we describe Bromeliophrya quadristicha n. spec. from tank bromeliads of Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. The new species differs from the single congener, B. brasiliensis, mainly in having four (vs. 2) left lateral kinetofragments, 23 (vs. 32) ciliary rows, and a short (vs. long and C-shaped) adoral membranelle 3. Both the morphological and molecular phylogenies show Bromeliophrya and Glaucomides as sister group of the Glaucomidae. Thus, they should have the same (family) rank.