engleski

Tintinnids (Tintinnida, Choreotrichia, Ciliata) in the Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Part I. Taxonomy

This monograph is based on many years of tintinnid research throughout all of the ecological zones of the waters of the Adriatic Sea, from the Strait of Otranto to the Bay of Trieste. Particular attention was devoted to the bays and estuaries of the Eastern Adriatic coast. The samples were taken with a Nansen plankton net (53 µm mesh equipped with a closing system) a 5 L Niskin bottle and an “Adriatic” trap equipped with a 20 µm mesh gauze cylinder. In the taxonomic section, the basic synonymy is given for each species. The species are described briefly, and original drawings and photographs are included. A table of the most important morphometric features, including the inner volume of the lorica, the volume of the living plasmatic body, and the percentage of lorica occupied, is also provided. The distribution and abundance, as well as basic ecological factors, of each species are shown in detail together with the most important data regarding their distribution in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas. In the Adriatic Sea, 101 tintinnid species, two subspecies, and one variety were identified, placed in 44 genera and 12 families. Of the species found up to 80% were oceanic tintinnids. Only 4 species were neritic, and 17 were estuarine. Of the oceanic species, 67% were from the surface community (0-50 m) and 23% were typical representatives of the subsurface community (50-100 m). Five species were from the mesopelagic community, and only three species were deep-sea inhabitants. Species richness was highest (87) in the region of the South Adriatic and Otranto Strait, while between 48 and 52 species were observed towards the north and in the coastal waters off Dubrovnik. Between 22 and 32 species were found in the bays and estuaries along the eastern Adriatic coast, while a minimum of 14 were observed in Vlaška Lake. The ecology section presents the spatial distribution, seasonal or multi-annual variation and total abundance for each zone, along with the basic ecological factors and the variation in the total biovolume for some areas.

tintinnids; tintinnines; taxonomy; ecology; Adriatic Sea; Mediterranean Sea

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