Rhinoglena kutikovae n.sp. (Rotifera: Monogononta: Epiphanidae) from the Bunger Hills, East Antarctica: a probable relict species that survived Quaternary glaciations on the continent

• Published in: Polar biology 2008-04, Vol.31 (5), p.595-603
• Main Authors: De Smet, Willem H., Gibson, John A. E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Ecology; Freshwater lakes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Invertebrates; Less representative or incertae sedis groups: acanthocephala, chaetognatha, gnathostomulida, lophophoria, merostomata, mesozoa, myxozoa, nematorhyncha, pararthropoda, placozoa, priapuloidea, prochordata, pycnogonida, rotifera; Life Sciences; Marine biology; Microbiology; Oceanography; Original Paper; Particular ecosystems; Plant Sciences; Quaternary; Refugia; Studies; Synecology; Teeth; Zoology
• ISSN: 0722-4060; 1432-2056
• DOI: 10.1007/s00300-007-0393-9

A new species of rotifer, Rhinoglena kutikovae n.sp. (Monogononta: Epiphanidae), is described from a freshwater lake in the Bunger Hills, East Antarctica. The new taxon is characterized by the following combination of characters: body conical to vase-shaped; a single toe; distal foot pseudosegment bulged; tail prominent, semi-circular; two small spherical pedal glands with common duct, forming a complex with caudal ganglion; trophi with seven major teeth with offset head and two smaller teeth without offset head. The new species is compared with R. fertoeensis , R. frontalis and R. tokioensis , of which scanning electron microscopic information is presented of the trophi. R. kutikovae n.sp. is probably a relict species that survived Quaternary glaciations in glacial lacustrine refugia on the Antarctic continent.