Acta Protozool. (2000) 39: 337 - 344 Testate Amoebae (Protozoa: Rhizopoda) from Thailand Vassil G. GOLEMANSKY and Milcho T. TODOROV Institute of Zoology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria Summary. A total of 91 taxa belonging to 30 genera of testate amoebae were established in 10 moss, soil and aquatic samples, collected in the park of the Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and in the “Khao Yai” National Park, Thailand. Four genera and 18 species of them were announced for the first time to the testacean fauna of Thailand. The morphological and biometrical characterisation of some rare testaceans like Cyclopyxis intermedia Kufferath, 1932, Cyclopyxis lithostoma Bonnet, 1974, Ellipsopyxis lamottei Bonnet, 1974, and Lamtopyxis cassagnaui Bonnet, 1977, were made using a light and scanning electron microscope. The following synonyms for C. intermedia have been adopted: C. gigantea Bartoš, 1963; C. kahli grandis Chibisova, 1967 and C. bathystoma Chibisova, 1967. Key words: biometry, faunistic, morphology, taxonomy, testate amoebae, Thailand. INTRODUCTION The testacean fauna of Thailand has as yet been poorly studied. Only the publications of Bonnet (1981, 1987) and of Todorov and Golemansky (1999) concern the testaceans of this country. On the basis of many investigated soil samples, Bonnet established rich soil testacean fauna composed of more than 150 species and 37 genera of testate amoebae. He observed many cosmopolitan and eurybiotic species, including some genera and species of Gondwanan origin. Among them are Lamtopyxis , Distomatopyxis , Deharvengia, Planhoogenraadia etc., which are interesting from a taxonomical and evolutional point of view, and are typical soil inhabitants of the South-eastern Asiatic- North Oceanic region (Bonnet 1987). In July 1995 one of us (V. Golemansky) visited Thailand and collected samples from freshwater biotopes, epiphytic and terrestrial mosses and soils, in which we established rich testacean fauna. The faunistic data resulted in our study and the morphological and biometri- cal characterization of some rare and interesting species, observed in this region, are the subject of the present publication. MATERIALS AND METHODS The samples for the present study were collected in July 1995 in the park of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and in the “Khao Yai” National Park, Thailand. The “Khao Yai” National Park is located 180 km northeast of Bangkok in the Dongrak Mountains. Its altitude ranges from 250 to 1351 m a.s.l. and more than 85% of its Address for correspondence: Vassil Golemansky, Milcho Todorov, Institute of Zoology, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria; Fax: (3592) 988-28-97; E-mail: zoology@bgcict.acad.bg