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    DOI10.15468/vymt96

    Occurrence dataset Registered July 15, 2025

    New data on limno-terrestrial rotifers of the world

    Published by Marine Research Institute, Klaipeda University
    11 authors
    LicenceCC BY 4.0

    Description

    The dataset brings together all records of rotifers (Phylum Rotifera) found by N. Iakovenko and D. Lukashanets worldwide in limno-terrestrial habitats – substrates that periodically undergo cycles of desiccation and hydration but cannot be classified as temporary waterbodies – such as mosses, lichens, fungi, timber, upper layers of soil, and litter.

    From 1996 to the present, we have collected and analysed more than 2,160 limno-terrestrial samples. Sampling covered all continents and over 50 countries, spanning from the Arctic to the Antarctic, including most of major biomes. The altitude of sampling sites ranged from 0 to 4,610 m above sea level. In total, the dataset includes 5,294 records of limno-terrestrial rotifers. We found 207 clonal species (including nominal ‘subspecies’ that in bdelloids are to be updated to species in future) belonging to 23 genera (9 of Monogononta and 14 of Bdelloidea). More than other 300 species-level entities were different in minor or major details from the original descriptions and potentially might be new taxa.

    The submitted dataset is extensive and substantially contributes to the current knowledge of diversity and distribution of limno-terrestrial rotifers subject that is still poorly known, especially outside Europe. We present it for the wider use in studies of microinvertebrate biodiversity and macroecology.

    Geographic scope

    Description

    The dataset includes records collected throughout the world, spanning latitudes from 77.94° S to 78.28° N and covering all continents:

    (i) Europe – Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia (Karelia and Caucasus), Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine; also including the European Arctic (Bear Island, Iceland, Jan Mayen, Svalbard) and Mediterranean islands (Mallorca, Malta, Pantelleria, Sardinia);

    (ii) Asia – Armenia, Brunei, China, Cyprus, Georgia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia (Southern Siberia), Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkey;

    (iii) Africa – Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Tunisia; also including Macaronesia (Madeira);

    (iv) North America – western Greenland, USA (contiguous states and Alaska); also including the Caribbean (Martinique);

    (v) South America – Brazil, Chile;

    (vi) Australia and Oceania – Australia (mainland and Tasmania), New Zealand, Papua New Guinea;

    (vii) Antarctica – Antarctic Peninsula, Argentine Islands, Queen Maud Land, Enderby Land, James Ross Island, King George Island, Victoria Land.

    Bounding box
    Latitude
    From -90 to 90
    Longitude
    From -180 to 180

    Temporal scope

    verbatim
    1996-2025

    Taxonomic scope

    Description

    The dataset includes all records belonging to Phylum Rotifera, which we found in the samples of soil, moss, lichen and other limno-terrestrial habitats. Monogonont rotifers (order Ploima) accounted for only 1.47 % the records, whilst the majority of records were bdelloids (order Bdelloidea). Species with uncertain affiliation or potentially new for science were indicated as Genus sp., those different from the nominal description (mostly potentially new) are designated as cf.

    Coverage
    Rotiferarotifers

    Methodology

    Sampling

    For the analysis of limno-terrestrial rotifers, sampling was performed mainly in forest ecosystems (taiga, boreal and mixed forests, subtropical forests, tropical rainforests), flatlands, urban areas, and agricultural landscapes. In polar areas, we conducted sampling in moss tundra, at post-glacial moraine, in Antarctic oases and nunataks.
    Samples of soil and litter were collected using 3.8 cm metal corer or metal scoops. Lichens, mosses, and other vegetation were picked from the ground, tree barks, and stones using tweezers or simply by hands. The size of the samples varied from a few cm3 to several dozen cm3, depending on the amount of material available for collection. All samples were placed in paper of plastic bags and properly labelled. All sampling sites were georeferenced.

    Study extent

    All samples used in the dataset were collected either within the frame of several research projects focused on the biodiversity and ecology of microfauna, or as a part of other field activities. The latter included fieldwork in remote and hard-to-reach areas (tropical rainforests, polar and alpine regions), visiting notable places, incidentally in field trips, within national Antarctic expeditions, during landing at cruises of research vessels, etc. The samples have been stored in the repositories of the dataset’s main creators, Dr. Nataliia Iakovenko and Dr. Dzmitry Lukashanets. For the short-term storage we used gradual drying at room temperature, while for long-term preservation freezing at -20-25° C was used (samples from other than polar latitudes were first gradually dried at room temperature before freezing).

    Quality control

    Two recognized specialists in taxonomy of Bdelloidea rotifers, Dr. Nataliia Iakovenko and Dr. Dzmitry Lukashanets, carried out all species identification while consulting other specialists (Dr. Diego Fontaneto, Dr. Aydin Örstan). Primarily first descriptions together with the existing identification keys and reviews on the taxonomy of bdelloids were used. Georeferenced data were checked by placing latitudes and longitudes on a map.

    Method steps

    1. Microscopic animals were isolated from each sample. For this, soil particles, litter, or pieces of vegetation with a total volume of 25 cm3 (or less if the sample volume was insufficient) were washed on metal sieves, followed by flotation and centrifugation in a sugar solution (Freckman, Virginia, 1993). Alternatively, the method for extracting moss-dwelling rotifers described by Peters et al. (1993) was used.

    2. Rotifers were counted and sorted under a binocular microscope (Olympus SZ61, Olympus SZX10, NR.3 Nikon SMZ1000).

    3. For species identification, live rotifer individuals were transferred to slides and examined using light microscopy (Nikon Eclipse Ts2R, NIB-100F inverted microscope, Olympus CX43). First descriptions of taxa and the existing identification keys were used: Donner (1965), Bartoš (1951, 1959), Kutikova (2005). Body dimensions and proportions were measured following the protocol of Iakovenko et al. (2013, 2015).

    4. All rotifer densities are counted as individuals per standard volume of 25 cm3 (estimated empirically as the most convenient for handling both rich and individual-scarce samples). For samples with smaller or higher volumes, the obtained counts were re-calculated to the standard volume.

    Metrics

    Bibliography

    • Iakovenko NS, Smykla J, Convey P, Kašparová E, Kozeretska IA, Trokhymets V, Dykyy I, Plewka M, Devetter M, Duriš Z, Janko K (2015) Antarctic bdelloid rotifers: diversity, endemism and evolution. Hydrobiologia 761, 5-43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2463-2
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    • Freckman DW, Virginia RA (1993) Extraction of nematodes from Dry Valley Antarctic soils. Polar Biology 13, 483–487. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00233139
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    • Peters U, Koste W, Westheide W (1993) A quantitative method to extract moss-dwelling rotifers. Hydrobiologia 255, 339–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025857
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    • Kutikova LA (2005) The Bdelloid rotifers of the fauna of Russia. KMK Scientific Press Ltd. Moscow. [In Russian]
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    • Donner J (1965) Ordnung Bdelloidea (Rotatoria, Rädertiere). Akademie Verlag. [in German]
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    • Bartoš E (1959) Virnici - Rotatoria. Vol. 15. Fauna CSR. Nakladatelstvi Ceskoslovenske Akademie Ved. Praha [in Czech]
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    • Bartoš E (1959) The Czechoslovak Rotatoria of the order Bdelloidea. Vestnik Ceskoslovenske Zoologicke Spolecnosti 15, 241–500.
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    • Iakovenko NS, Kašparová E, Plewka M, Janko K (2013) Otostephanos (Rotifera, Bdelloidea, Habrotrochidae) with the description of two new species. Systematics and Biodiversity 11 (4), 477-494. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2013.857737
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    Contacts

    GBIF registration

    Registration date
    July 15, 2025
    Metadata last modified
    July 16, 2025
    Publication date
    July 16, 2025
    Hosted by
    GBIF Secretariat
    Installation
    GBIF Europe and Central Asia
    Endpoints
    Darwin Core Archive
    EML
    Preferred identifier
    10.15468/vymt96
    Alternative identifiers
    GBIF registration details

    Citation

    Lukashanets D, Iakovenko N, Fontaneto D, Devetter M, Janko K, Ejsmont-Karabin J, Bielańska-Grajner I, Hallet B, Smykla J, Kozeretska I, Trokhymets V (2025). New data on limno-terrestrial rotifers of the world. Version 1.4. Marine Research Institute, Klaipeda University. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/vymt96 accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-08-02.