Free-living heterotrophic euglenids from freshwater sites in mainland Australia

Abstract

This paper presents new data on free-living heterotrophic euglenids (Euglenozoa, Protista) that were found at several freshwater sites in New South Wales, Northern Territory, and Queensland, Australia. Thirty-six species are described with uninterpreted records based on light-microscopy. The records include accounts of two new taxa: Heteronema pterbica nov. spec., Sphenomonas alburiae nov. spec., and of six new combinations: Dinema dimorphum (Skuja, 1932) nov. comb., Notosolenus mediocanellatus ( Stein, 1878) nov. comb., Notosolenus steini (Klebs, 1893) nov. comb., Ploeotia obliqua ( Klebs, 1893) nov. comb., Ploeotia plana ( Christen, 1959) nov. comb., and Rhabdomonas mirabilis ( Playfair, 1921) nov. comb. We also introduce the following: Astasia skvortzovi nom. nov., Heteronema hexagonum var. elegans ( Playfair, 1921) nov. comb., Petalomonas compressa ( Schewiakoff, 1893) nov. comb., and Jenningsia deflexum var dextrum ( Shi, 1975) nov. comb. All records of heterotrophic euglenids in Australia are reviewed. The majority of species reported here have also been found at other locations worldwide, and we find little or no evidence that there is endemism in this group.