A new and five rare bdelloids from Korea

Area of Science:

• Zoology
• Invertebrate Zoology
• Biodiversity Studies

Background:

• Bdelloid rotifers are microscopic invertebrates found in diverse habitats worldwide.
• Taxonomic and distributional knowledge of bdelloid rotifers in Korea and Asia remains incomplete.
• Several rare bdelloid rotifer species have limited documented occurrences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a taxonomic investigation of bdelloid rotifers from terrestrial habitats in Korea.
• To identify new species and new national/continental records of bdelloid rotifers.
• To describe a new species, Philodina koreana n. sp., and discuss the taxonomy and distribution of rare species.

Main Methods:

• Collection of bdelloid rotifers from various terrestrial sites across six locations in Korea.
• Microscopic examination for species identification and taxonomic analysis.
• DNA sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (mtCOX1) for the new species.

Main Results:

• Twelve new Korean records of bdelloid rotifers were identified, including eight species and two subspecies new to Asia.
• Five rare species with previously poorly known distributions were documented.
• Philodina koreana n. sp. was described as a new species, with its mtCOX1 gene sequenced.
• Rediscovery of Philodina childi and P. scabra in Korea after nearly a century.
• First reports of Habrotrocha longicalcarata outside its type locality, Macrotrachela nixa outside New Zealand/Antarctic, and H. solida outside Europe.

Conclusions:

• The study significantly contributes to the understanding of Korean and Asian bdelloid rotifer fauna.
• It provides valuable taxonomic and distributional data for several rare and poorly documented species.
• A taxonomic key for Korean Philodina species was developed, aiding future research.