New species of genera Tintinnopsis, Metacylis and Eutintinnus (Ciliophora, Spirotrichea, Tintinnida) from the Kuwaiti waters of the Arabian Gulf

Abstract

The Kuwaiti waters occupy the northwestern part of the Arabian Gulf. These waters are shallow, well mixed, and characterized by a high level of biological productivity. Tintinnids form an important component of the microzooplankton community in Kuwaiti waters. They are particularly abundant in the northern waters of Kuwait, as well as in the waters of Kuwait Bay. However, the diversity of the tintinnid species has not been studied. Tintinnids were collected from Kuwaiti waters during a 1-year zooplankton survey, and tintinnid species were identified. In this paper four new species of tintinnids ( Tintinnopsis failakkaensis, Metacylis pythos, Eutintinnus conicus , and E. contractus ) are described from Kuwaiti waters. All these species occur commonly in these waters. Statistical comparative analysis is carried out on the basis of measurements taken from 400 specimens of tintinnids from Kuwaiti waters.