Free-living benthic heterotrophic euglenids from Botany Bay, Australia

Abstract

Sixty-two species from 12 genera of heterotrophic euglenids (Euglenozoa, Protista) were found during a long-term, intensive study of marine sediments in Botany Bay (Australia). Of the 62 species, 44 are described with uninterpreted records based on light microscopy. The records include accounts of seven unidentified taxa and one new taxon (Petalomonas gini sp. nov.). Most euglenid flagellates described here have been found at other locations worldwide, but many (rare) species are not reported from any other locations. It is not possible to assess if these species are endemic because of the lack of intensive studies elsewhere. However, these results suggest that the euglenid communities from Botany Bay are distinctive. This article discusses the validity of the Sphenomonadina and Heteronemadina, and morphospecies of heterotrophic euglenids.

Keywords:

• Endemic
• euglenids
• heterotrophic flagellates
• Petalomonas gini
• protista

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Kyungnam University Research fund (2009). I am grateful to Professor David J. Patterson (MBL, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA) for making this work possible.

Notes

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark