Annotated Checklist of Rotifers of Tehran Province, Iran, with Notes on New Records

Abstract

Despite rapid growth of our knowledge on the phylum Rotifera, only few studies on Iranian rotifers have been carried out. In this paper, we present a checklist of rotifers from the province of Tehran in Iran. In total, 45 species of rotifers (class Eurotatoria) are reported. Most of the recorded species are cosmopolitan in distribution. Cephalodella ventripes, Dicranophorus forcipatus, D. luetkeni, Encentrum cf. putorius, Filinia terminalis, Notommata glyphura, Proales minima, Trichocerca tenuior and Trichotria pocillum are new to Iran’s fauna. Of the rotifer families found, Brachionidae, Lecanidae and Notommatidae were the most diverse. This study can be considered a starting point for rotifer biodiversity research in Iran. More comprehensive studies are required to achieve a reliable understanding of rotifer diversity patterns in the province of Tehran.