An ecological survey of littoral rotifera from some selected areas of Iraq : I. middle of Iraq

Abstract EN

The ecology of Rotifera of the middle of Iraq region was studied.

Fourteen stations were chosen, three of them at Baghdad: Aa'mah Bridge (1), Al-Sarafiya Bridge (2) & Twaitha (3); two stations at Babil: Bab Al-Hussain Bridge (4) & Al-Hnood Bridge (5), three stations at Wasit: Kut Barrage (6), Nazim Gharraf River (7) & Nazim Dujaili River (8); four stations at Karbala: Kifl River (9), Touirij Bridge (10), Alqami River (11) & Al-Husseiniya River (12) and two stations at Najaf: Abu Sakhair River (13) & Najaf Sea (14); samples were collecting for the period from 20 to 23 May 2011) by using a mesh size 50 μm plankton net.

Some environmental factors were measured: water temperature (26-33 C°), dissolved oxygen (7.5-8.9 mg/L), salinity (0.43-2.95 ‰), pH (7.8-8.3) and nitrate (0.83-16.04 mg/L).

Rotifera consisted (62%) of the zooplankton at all the stations.

About 43 species of Rotifera belonging to 18 Genera and 13 families were encountered.

Bdelloidea and seven species were recorded from all the stations, these are, Brachionus angularis, B.

plicatilis, Colurella adriatica, Keratella cochlearis, K.

quadrata, Lecane bulla and L.

closterocerca