Report on rotifers from Barentsøya, Svalbard (78°30' N)

Altogether 16 plankton and 18 submerged moss samples, from 18 different water bodies on Barentsøya, were analyzed for their rotifer content. The samples were collected on 29 August 1985. Sixty-three taxa of rotifers are reported, 17 of which represent new records for Svalbard, and 13 are new for the high arctic fauna. Wide-ranging taxa are dominant. Variations in surface area, pH and ionic composition seem important in controlling the communities. Lecane piepelsi n.sp. is described.