Towards a list of available names in zoology, partim Phylum Rotifera

Many, mostly older, names of animal species are nomenclaturally problematic, either because their orthography is unstable, or they cannot be linked reliably to a taxonomic identity, due to the lack of recognisable descriptions and/or types. Yet, they represent available (sensu International Code of Zoological Nomenclature) names and must be taken into account in zoological works. This situation, with available senior, yet dubious names confounding nomenclature, is undesirable. It creates uncertainties at a time when molecular approaches are revolutionizing our concepts of species diversity, and fails us when the current extinction crisis calls for efficient, accurate, and constructive approaches to document, monitor, and conserve biodiversity. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (The Code) provides a means to address this issue by restricting availability, application and orthography of names to those included in the List of Available Names in Zoology (LAN). The Code (Art. 79) allows an international body of zoologists in consultation with the Commission to propose a candidate part of the LAN for a major taxonomic field. We explore this possibility for 3570 species-group names of Phylum Rotifera (of which 665 are problematic), by presenting such a candidate Rotifera part of the LAN. The web site of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (http://www.iczn.org) will hold both the candidate list and a forum to facilitate consultation on the candidate list, while the list itself also can already be freely downloaded from three other Internet sites: http://fada.biodiversity. be, http://rotifer.ansp.org/LAN, and www.hausdernatur.at/rotifera. We give here an overview of the general approach and procedures applied in preparation of the candidate list, and anticipate that our effort will promote the process as well as result in a standard list of names for use in taxonomy, the Global Names Architecture and other biodiversity information initiatives

Fifteen species in one: deciphering the Brachionus plicatilis species complex (Rotifera, Monogononta) through DNA taxonomy

Understanding patterns and processes in biological diversity is a critical task given current and rapid environmental change. Such knowledge is even more essential when the taxa under consideration are important ecological and evolutionary models. One of these cases is the monogonont rotifer cryptic species complex Brachionus plicatilis, which is by far the most extensively studied group of rotifers, is widely used in aquaculture, and is known to host a large amount of unresolved diversity. Here we collate a dataset of previously available and newly generated sequences of COI and ITS1 for 1273 isolates of the B. plicatilis complex and apply three approaches in DNA taxonomy (i.e. ABGD, PTP, and GMYC) to identify and provide support for the existence of 15 species within the complex. We used these results to explore phylogenetic signal in morphometric and ecological traits, and to understand correlation among the traits using phylogenetic comparative models. Our results support niche conservatism for some traits (e.g. body length) and phylogenetic plasticity for others (e.g. genome size)

Rotifers from China (Western Guangdong Province), with description of Lecane zhanjiangensis sp. nov. (Rotifera: Monogononta: Lecanidae)

Wei, Nan, Jersabek, Christian D., Yang, Yufeng (2019): Rotifers from China (Western Guangdong Province), with description of Lecane zhanjiangensis sp. nov. (Rotifera: Monogononta: Lecanidae). Zootaxa 4603 (1): 66-80, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.1.

Description of Cephalodella changdensis sp. nov. (Rotifera: Notommatidae) from Hunan Province, China

A new freshwater rotifer Cephalodella changdensis sp. nov. discovered in two locations in Changde, Hunan, China, is described morphologically. The new species is characterized by body shape moderately elongate, double eyespots frontally, toes conical and almost straight, about one fourth of total length, trophi type B (classification after Wulfert, 1937), rami asymmetrical with a pair of long alulae, fulcrum inverted T-shaped (ventral/dorsal view) with dorsally directed distal projection (lateral view), and manubria asymmetrical, left one slightly longer and stronger, with J-shaped or crutch-shaped posterior ends

Mongolian Rotifers on Micr oscope Slides: Instructions to Permanent Specimen Mounts from Expedition Material

We here describe a method for permanently mounting specimens on microscope slides, as we applied it in the newly established rotifer collection in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The liquid photopolymer NOA 61 was used as a primary sealant for pure glycerine mounts. We furthermore outline simple methods of rotifer narcotization and fi xation in the fi eld that yield, for the majority of species, adequately preserved specimen material for further preparation and identifi cation purposes

Plankton community composition in mountain lakes and consequences for ecosystem services

Mountain lakes provide a variety of ecosystem services (ES) such as water, habitat, recreation and aesthetic values. However, global change pressures increasingly affect lake ecosystems, necessitating suitable indicators to monitor changes in ES so that targeted protection measures can be developed. Limnological data in ES assessments are mostly limited to transparency for evaluating recreational and aesthetic values, but to date, limnological parameters related to plankton community composition have rarely been associated with ES. This study therefore aims to link limnological parameters to potential ES provision using widely applied standard parameters as well as metabarcoding based on 16S/18S rDNA high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to obtain information on phytoplankton communities. We collected 10 limnological parameters of 26 mountain lakes in the European Alps (1,489 to 2,922 m a.s.L.) and related them to six ES identified by local stakeholders. Our results generally indicate low to moderate concentrations of total phosphorus and chlorophyll a and high Secchi depths. Therefore, the trophic state of the majority of lakes was classified as ultra- (n = 6) or oligotrophic (n = 18), while two lakes were assigned to oligo-mesotrophic conditions. The phytoplankton functional groups were generally in agreement with the trophic state, i.e., we observed a decreasing relative abundance of mixotrophic vs. phototrophic phytoplankton with increasing trophic state. With regard to the ES, our results indicate that most lakes had high potential in providing multiple ES. Only six of the 26 lakes were inhabited by larger cladocerans, indicating reduced food availability for newts and thus less potential for the maintenance of populations and habitats. The high transparency of most lakes indicated a high potential for aesthetic and recreational values, whereas a few lakes with a greater proportion (>30%) of phototrophic phytoplankton manifested reduced water clarity, probably due to eutrophication. Our findings suggest that a deterioration of ecological conditions in mountain lakes may negatively affect future ES provision. Therefore, it will become increasingly important to protect pristine lakes, with data on plankton community composition potentially providing useful guidance for deciding which lakes should receive priority for protection measures

New species and records of Colurella (Rotifera: Lepadellidae) from South China, with a key to Chinese Colurella

Wei, Nan, Jersabek, Christian D., Xu, Runlin, Yang, Yufeng (2019): New species and records of Colurella (Rotifera: Lepadellidae) from South China, with a key to Chinese Colurella. Zootaxa 4586 (3): 475-490, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4586.3.

Preface: evolving rotifers, evolving science

Preface to issue which is the Proceedings of the 14th International Rotifer Symposium

Period of public commentary begins on the revised proposal of species-group level names, and on the proposal of genus-group level names of the candidate part of list of available names (LAN) in the phylum Rotifera

Following ICZN (1999) Article 79 Chapter 17, we, with the full support of the international community of rotifer researchers as expressed during subsequent international Rotifera symposia, developed a Candidate Part of the List of Available Names for species and genera of Rotifera from the start of zoological nomenclature to the year 2000