Euplotes dammamensis n. sp. (Figs 1–36; Tables 1, 2) Diagnosis. Marine Euplotes with 10 conspicuous dorsal ridges, 100–170 × 80–120 μm in vivo. Adoral zone comprising about three-quarters of the total cell length, with about 48 membranelles; consistently 10 frontoventral, five transverse and two marginal cirri, and, generally, two or three caudal cirri, with second cirrus prolonged significantly; 11 dorsal kineties with about 16 dikinetids in mid-dorsal row. Macronucleus variable in shape, anterior part typically C-shaped with posterior part distorted. Data are based on protargol-impregnated specimens. Type location. Isolated from the Arabian Gulf (26°33′07″N, 50°01′30″E) on 16 December 2011. Salinity about 65‰ and water temperature about 17°C. Type specimens. The slide (registration number: CXR- 20111216 -20-01) containing the holotype specimen (Figs 8, 9, 27, 28) and one paratype slide (registration number: CXR- 20111216 -20-02) with protargol-impregnated specimens have been deposited in the Laboratory of Protozoology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao.

Published as part of Chen, Xiangrui, Zhao, Yan, Al-Farraj, Saleh A., Al-Quraishy, Saleh A., El-Serehy, Hamed A., Shao, Chen & Al-Rasheid, Khaled A. S., 2013, Taxonomic Descriptions of Two Marine Ciliates, Euplotes dammamensis n. sp. and Euplotes balteatus (Dujardin, 1841) Kahl, 1932 (Ciliophora, Spirotrichea, Euplotida), Collected from the Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, pp. 73-89 in Acta Protozoologica 52 (2) on pages 74-76, DOI: 10.4467/16890027AP.13.008.1087, http://zenodo.org/record/13193136