Report on rotifers from Barentsøya, Svalbard (78°30' N)

Abstract

Altogether 16 plankton and 18 submerged moss samples, from 18 different water bodies on Barentsøya, were analyzed for their rotifer content. The samples were collected on 29 August 1985. Sixty-three taxa of rotifers are reported, 17 of which represent new records for Svalbard, and 13 are new for the high arctic fauna. Wide-ranging taxa are dominant. Variations in surface area, pH and ionic composition seem important in controlling the communities. Lecane piepelsi n.sp. is described.

Keywords

• Rotifera
• Eurotatoria
• sampling
• biodiversity
• habitat preference
• Svalbard