Abstract

We conducted a taxonomic study of bdelloid rotifers found from terrestrial habitats such as mosses, leaf litter and soil at four different locations in Korea. The study resulted in four new Korean records belonging to two genera in two families, Habrotrochidae and Philodinidae, of bdelloid rotifers: Habrotrocha soror Donner, 1950; H. thienemanni rubella Donner, 1951; H. valida Milne, 1916 and Philodina nitida nitida Milne, 1916. These new Korean records are rare and have very limited distributions. Habrotrocha thienemanni rubella and H. valida were not found again after their original descriptions until the present study. The present study is the third record for both H. soror and P. nitida nitida. All these four new Korean records are new to Asian fauna as well. Here, diagnostic characteristics and photomicrographs are provided for each new Korean record. In addition, a partial sequence of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (mtCOX1) for P. nitida nitida is presented.