Synthesis of the bulgarian protozoological investigations of south shetland islands (the antarctic)

Abstract

Within the range of the Bulgarian Antarctic Program (1987-2010) some parasitological investigations on the coccidian parasites of 3 penguin species from South Shetland Islands (Livingston and St George Islands) were conducted, namely: Pygoscelis antarctica, P. papua and P. adeliae. Three coccidian species were found, one of which was described as a new species: Eimeria pygosceli Golemansky, 2003. It was isolated from the fecal samples of all 3 penguin species, living at South Shetland Islands. The other not identified coccidian's were of the genera Eimeria and Isopspora. (Table 1). The great number of coccidian's oocysts in some of the examined birds (from 80 - 220 oocysts in one microscopic field) suggest for their pathogenic role on the penguin's population. As a result of our studies on some soil, moss and freshwater habitats from Livingston Island a total of 48 rhizopods were found. Three of them were naked amoebae of the genera Hartmanella, Thecamoeba and Vannella and the other 45 species were testate amoebae of 17 genera. Data on their occurrence frequency (pF) and dominance frequency (DF) were given (Table 2). The research on the marine interstitial testate amoebae from the supralittoral of the Antarctic region of Chile and Livingston Island shows the presence of 17 species of psammobiotic and psammophilous testate amoebae (Table 3).