O'Reilly, M. (2001). Rotifera, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 149-151
In: Costello, M.J.; Emblow, C.; White, R.J. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50. Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle: Paris. ISBN 2-85653-538-0. 463 pp., more
Rotifers are minute aquatic organisms generally less than 1mm in length. They have an external cuticle which is often ornamented or sculptured and they are characterised by a conspicuous crown, or "wheel", of long cilia. From this they derive their common name of “wheel animalcules”. The phylum comprises over 1500 species mostly from freshwater habitats though a number of species also occur in brackish and marine waters. The genera Seison and Zelinkiella are exclusively marine and live as commensals on leptostracan crustacea and holothurians respectively (see Holloday, 1949). Most species, however, have a free-living planktonic mode of life though benthic or periphytic forms also occur.The list provided comprises 112 European species from marine or brackish waters. The present compilation is biased towards the coastal waters of the North East Atlantic and does not, as yet, represent the southern European Atlantic nor Mediterranean fauna. Inclusion of these would probably add a significant number of species.
Pontin (1978) reviewed British freshwater planktonic species, about 30 of which are also recorded from brackish waters. Berzins (1960) summarises the records of about 60 marine planktonic species from the North East Atlantic. Thane-Fenchel (1968a) discussed the ecology and distribution of 34 species of non-planktonic rotifers from brackish waters of Scandinavia. Thane-Fenchel (1968b) also provided a key to marine and brackish-water genera of the world, citing further references where descriptions and illustrations of individual species can be located. The marine interstitial fauna of the North Sea island of Sylt was studied by Tzschaschel (1979) who recorded 21 species, 13 of which were new science.
References
Berzins, B. 1960. Zooplankton Sheets. Rotatoria I-VI. No.84, Synchaetidae, Genus Synchaeta,7pp. Fiches d'Identification du Zooplankton. Conseil International pour L'Exploration del la Mer.
Berzins, B. 1960. Zooplankton Sheets. Rotatoria I-VI. No.85, Trichocercidae, 3pp. Fiches d'Identification du Zooplankton. Conseil International pour L'Exploration del la Mer.
Berzins, B. 1960. Zooplankton Sheets. Rotatoria I-VI. No.86, Brachionidae, 4pp. Fiches d'Identification du Zooplankton. Conseil International pour L'Exploration del la Mer.
Berzins, B. 1960. Zooplankton Sheets. Rotatoria I-VI. No.87, Brachionidae (Contd.), 5pp. Fiches d'Identification du Zooplankton. Conseil International pour L'Exploration del la Mer.
Berzins, B. 1960. Zooplankton Sheets. Rotatoria I-VI. No.88, Asplanchnidae and Synchaetidae, Genera Ploesoma and Polyarthra, 4pp. Fiches d'Identification du Zooplankton. Conseil International pour L'Exploration del la Mer.
Berzins, B. 1960. Zooplankton Sheets. Rotatoria I-VI. No.89, Testudinellidae, Conochilidae, and Collothecidae, 4pp. Fiches d'Identification du Zooplankton. Conseil International pour L'Exploration del la Mer.
Holloday, E.D., 1949. A preliminary report on the Plymouth marine and brackish-water Rotifera. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 28: 239-253.
Pontin, R.M. 1978. A key to British Freshwater Planktonic Rotifera. Freshwater Biological Association. Scientific Publication No.38, 178pp.
Thane-Fenchel, A. 1968a. Distribution and Ecology of non-planktonic brackish -water rotifers from Scandinavian waters. Ophelia 5:273-297.
Thane-Fenchel, A. 1968b. A simple key to the genera of marine and brackish- water rotifers. Ophelia 5:299-311.
Tzschaschel, G. 1979. Marine Rotatoria aus dem Interstitial der Nordseeinsel Sylt. Mikrofauna des Meeresbodens 71:1-64.
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