Zh. P. Selifonova - Outbreaks of Alien Tintinnid Ciliates Rhizodomus tagatzi Strelkow & Wirketis, 1950 and Amphorellopsis acuta (Schmidt, 1902) (Ciliophora, Tintinnida) in the Port of Taman, Black Sea

BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2024, Vol. 50, No. 6, pp. 446-453

Outbreaks of Alien Tintinnid Ciliates Rhizodomus tagatzi Strelkow & Wirketis, 1950 and Amphorellopsis acuta (Schmidt, 1902) (Ciliophora, Tintinnida) in the Port of Taman, Black Sea

Admiral Ushakov Maritime State University, Novorossiysk 353924, Russia

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New outbreaks of alien species of shelled ciliates (Tintinnida) in the northeastern Black Sea are reported. Zooplankton samples were collected in the late biological summer and the fall of 2023 in the Black Sea, in the coastal zone of the port of Taman. In the study area, a total of 10 species of tintinnids were identified, among which seven were alien species. Outbreaks of the invasive tintinnids Rhizodomus tagatzi and Amphorellopsis acuta were recorded for the first time from the waters of the port of Taman. A well-defined peak of R. tagatzi abundance was recorded in September (518 × 10³ cells/m³) and A. acuta in November (310 × 10³ cells/m³). During these months, these species accounted for > 99% of the total abundance of tintinnids, which indicated the formation of their populations. The abundance of R. tagatzi was the highest ever reported for the Black Sea. It is assumed that the intensive shipping traffic and increased cargo turnover characteristic of the Taman coast of the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait contribute to the spread of alien marine shelled ciliates with ship ballast water.

Key words: alien shelled ciliates, Black Sea, summer–fall abundance dynamics, taxonomic composition.