Heterotrophic flagellates from the water column in Shark Bay, Western Australia

Abstract

The diversity of heterotrophic flagellates in the water column at Denham, in Shark Bay, Western Australia, was examined in April 1995 by observations of living cells in freshly collected samples, and in enrichment cultures. Observations were also made of cells on whole-mount preparations, using light and electron microscopy. A total of 41 species are described, drawn from the apusomonads, cercomonads, choanoflagellates, cryptomonads, euglenids, heteroloboseids, stramenopiles and groups of uncertain taxonomic affinities (Protista incertae sedis). A new species, Percolomonas denhami, is described and assigned to the Heterolobosea. Three-quarters of the species seen have not previously been reported from southern sub-tropical regions. The biogeography of the species seen in Western Australia is discussed with reference to studies in other localities. It appears that many heterotrophic flagellates have a cosmopolitan distribution.