The distribution, morphology, and ecological features of the freshwater phagotrophic dinoflagellate Tyrannodinium edax were studied in the reservoirs of Kiev. This species was found especially abundant in ponds. The ponds Gorashchikha, Dvorets, Karachun, and Sapsaev are located in the vicinities of the village Pushcha-Voditsa, and in ponds of Feofaniya park. Spring (mid-April to mid-May) is the most favorable season for the development of T. edax. As a result of a comparative study in the morphology of T. edax, it was revealed that the first apical plate (1’) in specimens from Kiev reservoirs is relatively narrower than in cells of the same species from North America, Western Europe, and Asia. At the same time, the size of the cells of the Kiev population of T. edax varies within specific limits. The history of the study of the species, its systematic position, morphology, distribution in the reservoirs of Kiev, Ukraine, and the world are discussed. Original microphotographs of T. edax are given.
Keywords: Dinoflagellata, dinoflagellates, Dinophyta, distribution, morphology, phyto-plankton, Pfiesteriaceae, taxonomy, Tyrannodinium edax, Ukraine
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