Abstract
Tintinnid ciliates are important pelagic microplankton. Most studies previously conducted in the Amundsen Sea have covered a relatively small latitude range and provided minimal information about tintinnid species composition and distribution. The present study was conducted to investigate tintinnid assemblages from the Antarctic zone (AZ) northward through the polar front (PF) to the subantarctic zone (SAZ). A total of 17 tintinnid species belonging to seven genera were collected, and 16 were identified. Results show that nine of the species are endemic to the Southern Ocean and they mainly inhabit the AZ near Antarctic continent with an abundant proportion exceeding 60% of total tintinnid. According to the tintinnid abundance distribution, the species were divided into four groups: Group I includes Acanthostomella norvegica , Codonellopsis glacialis , C. pusilla and Cymatocylis antarctica and mainly occurs in the northern boundary of the PF; Group II includes Cymatocylis convallaria forma calyciformis , an unidentified species, and Amphorellopsis quinquealata and mainly inhabits the PF; Group III includes Salpingella costata , Cymatocylis vanhoeffeni , C. convallaria forma cristallina, C. convallaria forma drygalskii, C. convallaria , Codonellopsis gaussi , and Laackmanniella naviculaefera and mainly occurs in the AZ near the Antarctic continent; and Group IV, which comprises Salpingella sp. and inhabits all zones. The new species of tintinnid (belonging to Group II) primarily inhabit the AZ but also are distributed in the PF, and they have large lorica-oral-diameter (LOD). The distribution ranges of tintinnid assemblages from the AZ to PF were determined, in addition to the different assemblages mixed in the PF. The information provided in this study increases our understanding of tintinnid assemblages from the Antarctic continent in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Antarctic waters.
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