Some Heterotrophic Flagellates from a Cultivated Garden Soil in Australia

Abstract

The flagellates of an Australian garden soil were studied by placing coverslips on wet soil and subsequently examining the coverslips by light microscopy. A number of genera and species were found which have not previously been reported from soil samples. Besides the three new species, Apusomonas australiensis sp. nov., Peltomonas hanelisp. nov., and Sciviamonas terricola gen. nov. sp. nov. they include species from the genera Amastigomonas, Cryptaulax, Paraphysomonas, and Protaspis. Among genera which have been reported from soils, we recorded a number of species previously unreported from soils: Petalomonas pusilla, Bicosoeca epiphytica, Bicosoeca mignotii, and Ancyromonas sigmoides. In addition, we extracted a number of forms which have been found in soil but which are usually not considered as members of the soil flagellate community. They are: Codosiga botrytis, Salpingoeca amphoridium, and Goniomonas truncata. Only a minority of the taxa recorded are thought of as common and widespread in soils, they include: Apusomonas proboscidea, and species of Cercomonas and Spumella. At least part of the difference between communities of flagellates from freshwaters and those of soils are due to different sampling methods and not only to the existence of different communities.