Freshwater ciliates from Beytepe Pond in Ankara with new records for Turkey

In this study, the ciliate biota from four sites within a pond in Central Anatolia has been examined. A total of 57 species have been identified, 4 of which are newly recorded within the Turkish ciliate fauna, including Oxytricha similis, Pleuronema crassum, Astylozoon pyriforme, and Pseudovorticella monilata. Turkish populations of these newly recorded species have been morphologically described. Furthermore, 17 species have been newly recorded in Central Anatolia. An overwhelming majority of the ciliates found belonged to 3 systematic groups: 1) Oligohymenophorea (44%, 25 species), 2) Spirotrichea (21%, 12 species), and 3) Litostomatea (21%, 12 species). All ciliate species recorded during the present study have been listed along with information on their occurrence at different sites in Anatolia, namely Mogan Lake, Ankara, Sır Dam lake, Kahramanmaraş, and Van Province, and the distribution of ciliates has been discussed from a broader perspective.