Loricate choanoflagellates (Acanthoecida) from warm water seas. III. Acanthocorbis Hara and Takahashi and Stephanoeca Ellis

A large-scale investigation of warm water loricate choanoflagellate communities has revealed the presence of close to 80 species, which is approximately half of all loricate choanoflagellate taxa described when including also hitherto undescribed forms known to us. We are in the process of stepwise providing a monographic treatment of these communities. The overall aim is to contribute the best possible account of species diversity, based on traditional light and electron microscopical techniques, as a tool for future identification work based on microscopy, and in support of the work in progress with establishing a quality assured molecular tool for future recognition of diversity. In this paper we summarize our findings of species of Acanthocorbis and Stephanoeca, which include the description of several new taxa: A. conicella sp. nov., A. gladiella sp. nov., S. broomia sp. nov., S. naja sp. nov., and S. andemanica sp. nov.