Biodiversity of Freshwater Protozoa in Thailand

Abstract

Freshwater protozoa in Thailand have been investigated in different provinces of northern, eastern, northeastern and southern parts of Thailand from 1982 till 1999. The total of 166 genera and 259 species found were identified as 36 genera and 72 species of Phytomastigophora, 9 genera and 11 species of Zoomastigophora, 23 genera and 38 species of Sarcodina, 2 genera and 2 species of Labyrinthomorpha and 95 genera and 134 species of Ciliophora. The diversity of protozoa in each part of Thailand had no difference from those found in the central part. These species of protozoa in the central part that had been studied for years were used as a database for those investigated in the other parts of Thailand. Two new species of protozoa were first recorded in this part of the world, Neobursaridium gigas was found around the roots of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and Loxodes rex around the roots of duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) and common duckweed (Lemna perpusilla).