Abstract
Microturbellarians occur in a wide range of ecosystems, but their diversity and distribution are largely unknown. In this work, we report on the morphology, abundance, and distribution of 6 species of microturbellarians, namely Baicalellia evelinae, Catenula evelinae, C. leuca, C. turgida, Gieysztoria chiqchi, and Stenostomum hemisphericum. We provide photographs and schematic drawings of the specimens in vivo. Three of them were known only for their type localities. Most species showed low to moderate abundance and were found in a single wetland in this study. Gieysztoria chiqchi is reported from Brazil for the first time. All records extend the ranges of the species at least 800 km to the southeast.
Highlights
Microturbellarians are small, mostly free-living animals, usually less than 1 mm long (Young 2001)
We report on the morphology, abundance, and distribution of 6 species of microturbellarians, namely Baicalellia evelinae, Catenula evelinae, C. leuca, C. turgida, Gieysztoria chiqchi, and Stenostomum hemisphericum
We report the morphology, abundance, and distribution of 6 species of microturbellarians, namely Catenula evelinae, C. leuca, C. turgida, and Stenostomum hemisphericum (Catenulida), Gieysztoria chiqchi and Baicalellia evelinae (Dalytyphloplanida), which are recorded for the first time for southern Brazil
Summary
Microturbellarians are small, mostly free-living animals, usually less than 1 mm long (Young 2001). They are abundant in a wide range of environments and belong typically to the benthos They may live directly associated with the bottom or on the roots of macrophytes and occur in fresh-, brackish and marine waters, in lotic or lentic, temporary, or permanent ecosystems (Young 2001, Van Steenkiste et al 2013). In Brazil, the distribution of microturbellarian species is mainly known from taxonomical works done by Marcus (e.g. 1945a, b, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1952) in the state of São Paulo, as well as from inventories and studies on community ecology done in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Braccini et al 2016). There 239 species of microturbellarians recorded from Brazil, 108 of them
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