Cosmopolitism in heliozoa: Interesting findings of marine and freshwater species in the Crimea

The fauna of freshwater heliozoa in the mountain Crimea was studied for the first. time. Studies of these organisms in the Black Sea along the souther n part of the Crimean coast were continued. Six species of centrohelid heli ozoa (Polyplacocystis bi-uni, Raineria erinaceoides, Choanocystis aculeata, Acanthocystis myriospina, A. taurica, A. turrfacea) and the heliozoon-like amoeba Lithocolla globosa are recorded in freshwater habitats. Six centroh elids (Heterophrys marina, P. bruni, Choanocystis rotundata, C. bicornioide s, Acanthocystis clavata, A. astrakhanensis) and L. globosa are described i n the Black Sea. All records are illustrated by SEM micrographs. Only those species which were previously known in freshwater are noted nowadays in br ackishwater (18 parts per thousand) of the Black Sea. The problem on the wo rld-wide (cosmopolitan) distribution of freshwater heliozoa is discussed on the basis of analyzing the author's and published data. A conclusion on th e absence of barriers for distribution of freshwater fauna via the waters w ith oceanic salinity is made. This phenomenon results in the absence of end emism in geographical distribution off heliozoa. The made conclusions are c ompared with those obtained in studying the distribution of other agamic gr oups.