New data on limno-terrestrial rotifers of the world

Background Limno-terrestrial rotifers, particularly those of the order Bdelloidea, inhabit bryophytes, lichens, soils and other periodically moist terrestrial habitats. Despite their high abundance in all latitudinal zones, these rotifers remain poorly documented in biodiversity databases due to difficulties in preservation and morphological identification. As a result, the current knowledge of their global distribution is still highly fragmented and geographically biased, with the majority of species records concentrated in Europe (where the experts mostly collected material). Many regions like north-eastern Asia, North and South America, Africa and Australia remain under-represented in current knowledge on distribution of limno-terrestrial rotifers. Recent studies suggested that Bdelloidea exhibit distinct biogeographical patterns and potentially high levels of cryptic diversity and endemism, challenging the traditional view of the omnipresence of all microscopic taxa. Comprehensive, georeferenced occurrence data are essential to advance our understanding of bdelloid biodiversity and distribution, yet such data are still scarce in global platforms like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).