Original Articles Open access

New occurrence records and updated global distribution of Limnias novemceras (Rotifera: Flosculariaceae) using citizen-contributed and published data

Authors

Published
4 February 2026
Section
Original Articles
DOI
10.4081/jlimnol.2026.2251

Abstract

We report new occurrence records and an updated global distribution of Limnias novemceras Meksuwan, Jaturapruek & Maiphae, 2018 (Rotifera: Flosculariaceae) based on citizen-science observations and published data. Twenty-two records were compiled, 19 from social media, extending the species range from its presumed endemic area in southern Thailand to Nearctic, Neotropical, Afrotropical, Palearctic, Sino-Japanese, and Oriental realms. Morphological features were consistent across populations, while minor corona variation and ecological traits indicate behavioral flexibility.

Keywords

Edited by

Diego Fontaneto, CNR-IRSA Water Research Institute, Verbania-Pallanza, Italy

Supporting Agencies

International SciKU Branding (ISB), Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

Data Availability Statement

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

References

  1. Atsumi K, Nishida Y, Ushio M, Nishi H, Genroku T, Fujiki S, 2024. Boosting biodiversity monitoring using smartphone-driven, rapidly accumulating community-sourced data. eLife 13:RP93694. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.93694.3
  2. Braby MF, Hsu Y, Lamas G, 2024. How to describe a new species in zoology and avoid mistakes. Zool J Linn Soc 202:zlae043. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae043
  3. Chandler M, See L, Copas K, Bonde AMZ, López BC, Danielsen F, et al., 2017. Contribution of citizen science towards international biodiversity monitoring. Biol. Conserv 213:280-294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.09.004
  4. Fontaneto D, Barbosa AM, Segers H, Pautasso M, 2012. The ‘rotiferologist’ effect and other global correlates of species richness in monogonont rotifers. Ecography 35:174-182. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2011.06850.x
  5. Fontaneto D, 2019. Long-distance passive dispersal in microscopic aquatic animals. Mov Ecol 7:10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-019-0155-7
  6. Franch V, Meksuwan P, Wallace RL, 2024. The dorsal plate is a critical feature in the reassessment of the rotiferan genus Ptygura (Monogononta; Gnesiotrocha; Flosculariidae). Zootaxa 5428:107-123. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5428.1.5
  7. Franch-Meneu V, Pastor LM, 2025. Ultrastructure of the epidermis and tube of two sessile species of the genus Limnias (Rotifera: Monogononta: Gnesiotrocha: Flosculariidae). Zoomorphology 144:29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-025-00715-5
  8. García-Morales AE, Domínguez-Domínguez O, Elías-Gutiérrez M, 2021. Uncovering hidden diversity: Three new species of the Keratella genus (Rotifera, Monogononta, Brachionidae) of high altitude water systems from central Mexico. Diversity 13:676. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/d13120676
  9. Green AJ, Lovas-Kiss Á, Reynolds C, Sebastián-González E, Silva GG, van Leeuwen CHA, Wilkinson DM, 2023. Dispersal of aquatic and terrestrial organisms by waterbirds: A review of current knowledge and future priorities. Freshwater Biol 68:173-190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14038
  10. Holt BG, Lessard J-P, Borregaard MK, Fritz SA, Araújo MB, Dimitrov D, et al., 2013. An update of Wallace’s zoogeographic regions of the world. Science 339:74-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1228282
  11. Jansen M, Beukes M, Weiland C, Blumer M, Rudolfi M, Poerting J, et al., 2024. Engaging citizen scientists in biodiversity monitoring: Insights from the WildLIVE! Project. Citiz Sci Theory Pract 9:6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.665
  12. Jattupan S, Jaturapruek R, Sa-ardrit P, Inuthai J, Ngernsaengsaruay C, Maiphae S, 2024. Diversity and habitat preferences of bdelloid rotifers in mosses and liverworts from beach forest along sand dunes in Thailand. PeerJ 12:e18721. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18721
  13. Jaturapruek R, Maiphae S, 2025. An updated checklist of freshwater rotifers in Thailand: Taxonomy, diversity and distribution. Biodivers Data J 13:e155363. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.13.e155363
  14. Jaturapruek R, Fontaneto D, Meksuwan P, Pholpunthin P, Maiphae S, 2018. Planktonic and periphytic bdelloid rotifers from Thailand reveal a species assemblage with a combination of cosmopolitan, tropical, and yet undescribed species. Syst Biodivers 16:128-141. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2017.1353554
  15. Jiménez-Santos MA, Sarma SSS, Nandini S, 2019. Temperature-dependent demographic differences in sessile rotifers of the genus Limnias (Rotifera: Gnesiotrocha). J Environ Biol 40:711-718. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22438/jeb/40/4/MRN-1046
  16. Jersabek CD, Segers H, Leitner M, 2025. Rotifera World Catalog (RWC). Limnias novemceras Meksuwan, Jaturapruek & Maiphae, 2018. Accessed: 2025-09-03. Available from: https://rotifera.aphia.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1796390.
  17. Meiri S, Mace GM, 2007. New taxonomy and the origin of species. PLoS Biol 5:e194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0050194
  18. Meksuwan P, Pholpunthin P, Segers H, 2011. Diversity of sessile rotifers (Gnesiotrocha, Monogononta, Rotifera) in Thale Noi Lake, Thailand. Zootaxa 2997:1-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2997.1.1
  19. Meksuwan P, Pholpunthin P, Walsh EJ, Segers H, Wallace RL, 2014. Nestedness in sessile and periphytic rotifer communities: A meta-analysis. Int Rev Hydrobiol 99:1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/iroh.201301703
  20. Meksuwan P, Pholpunthin P, Segers HH, 2015. Molecular phylogeny confirms Conochilidae as ingroup of Flosculariidae (Rotifera, Gnesiotrocha). Zool. Scr. 44:562-573. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12114
  21. Meksuwan P, Jaturapruek R, Maiphae S, 2018. Two new species of genus Limnias (Rotifera, Gnesiotrocha) from Thailand, with keys to congeners. Zookeys 787:1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.787.28098
  22. Obertegger U, Wallace RL, 2023. Trait-based research on Rotifera: The holy grail or just messy? Wate. 15:1459. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081459
  23. Pokpongmongkol P, Jaturapruek R, Sa-ardrit P, Maiphae S, 2025. Substrate preference and seasonal distribution of bdelloid rotifers in mosses in a primary forest in Thailand. Diversity 17:171. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/d17030171
  24. Wallace RL, Snell TW, Ricci C, Nogrady T, 2006. Rotifera, Volume 1: Biology, ecology and systematics (2nd ed.). Leide, Backhuys Publishers; 299 p.
  25. Yang H, Hochberg R, 2018. Ultrastructure of the extracorporeal tube and “cement glands” in the sessile rotifer Limnias melicerta (Rotifera: Gnesiotrocha). Zoomorphology 137:1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-017-0371-x

Metrics

Citations and online attention from Dimensions, Altmetric and PlumX.

PlumX Metrics

License

Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.