The diversity and distribution of Lepadellidae (Rotifera: Eurotatoria: Monogononta) of India

Abstract

The status of diversity of Lepadellidae of India is reviewed based on our studies and the published literature and 42 valid species are reported. These comprise ∼26.0 and 71.0% of the richness of the family known globally and from the Oriental region, respectively, and nearly 10.3% of the Indian Rotifera. One species is new to India and one species is new to northeast India (NEI). The interesting taxa include one Oriental endemic, two Indian endemics, and four Paleotropical species, while several species exhibit regional distributional importance. Low endemicity and richness of cosmopolitan species (∼76.0%) are characteristics of the Indian Lepadellidae. This taxon is relatively more known from certain states of northeast, east, and south India but remains poorly studied from rest of this country. An update on Lepadellidae from India, and the Himalayan region and Western Ghats “hot‐spots” in particular; and analysis of cryptic diversity in Colurella adriatica – colurus, C. obtusa, C. uncinata, Lepadella acuminata, L. ovalis, and L. patella merit further interest for the rotifer biodiversity and biogeography.

Isolation, identification and culture of the marine rotifer Colurella adriatica Ehrenberg, 1831 (Family: Lepadellidae) from Andaman & Nicobar Islands: A promising live feed for larval rearing of high value shellfishes and finfishes

“…Though occurrence of Colurella sp. from the backwaters of the Delhi segment of the Yamuna river was reported by Arora and Mehra (2003), and annotated a checklist of 42 Indian species of Lepadellidae from northeast India (Shrama and Sharma, 2015), the present study is the first report of occurrence of C. adriatica from marine environment, and its isolation and culture in India. The partial sequence of Colurella sp.…”

Interesting rotifers (Rotifera: Eurotatoria) from floodplain lakes of lower Brahmaputra river basin of Assam, northeast India

“…Individual collections were screened with a Wild stereoscopic binocular microscope; the rotifer taxa were isolated and mounted in Polyvinyl alcohol-lactophenol, and were observed with Leica (DM 1000) stereoscopic phase contrast microscope fitted with an image analyzer. The different rotifers were identified following the works of Koste (1978), Segers (1995), Sharma (1983Sharma ( , 1987Sharma ( , 1998, Sharma & Sharma (1997, 1999, 2000, 2008, 2015a, 2015b, 2015c …”

“…The rotifer assemblages of these ecotones are poorly documented in India in general except for the floodplain lakes (beels) of the Brahmaputra river basin of Assam state which are known for their rich and interesting rotifer diversity (Sharma & Sharma 2005, 2008, 2014a, 2014b, 2014c, 2015a in the Indian subregion. The present limnological reconnaissance is undertaken to further explore the biodiversity importance of 'managed beels' (for fisheries) of Barpeta district of lower Assam.…”