A report on epibionts and new record of two ciliates Ephelota plana and Ephelota gigantea in the coastal waters of Bay of Bengal, Northern Indian Ocean

The present study highlights the effect of epibiont on basibiont and their host-specificity on marine copepods and phytoplankton in coastal waters of Bay of Bengal. These epibionts have been investigated from three transects (TrA: 10 m.17.80°N;83.427°E; 20 m.17.80°N; 83.453°E; 30 m. 17.80°N; 83.469°E; TrB:10 m.17.75°N; 83.406°E; 20 m. 17.75°N; 83.41°E; 30 m. 17.75°N; 83.5°E and TrC:10 m.16.97°N;82.342°E; 20 m.16.97°N;82.391°E; 30 m 16.97°N; 82.425°E) from 0 to 30 m depths. Morphology, ecology and biometric data of all epibionts have been studied from fixed samples. This is the first report of epizoic diatom e.g., Pseudohimantidium pacificum attached with the copepod Ditrichocorycaeus asiaticus, and three ciliates, e.g., Ephelota gemmipara on the Canthocalanus pauper, Ephelota plana on the Centropages orsinii and Ephelota gigantea on the Euchaeta concinna reported from the Bay of Bengal (BoB), northern Indian Ocean. In this study, basibiont species specificity was shown by Vorticella oceanica, P. pacificum and E. gigantea.