Pioneering Study of Testate Amoebae in Nagi Bird Sanctuary of Bihar, India: A Contribution to Ramsar Site Microfauna

No previous literature has documented testate amoebae living on moss in the Nagi Bird Sanctuary, a designated Ramsar site in Bihar. Therefore, this investigation became the first study to explore testate amoebae species diversity in this important wetland. Testate amoebae are excellent environmental bioindicators, and single-celled microorganisms with external shells and are free-living. The present study is based on the moss samples collected from the Nagi Bird Sanctuary resulted in 16 testate amoebae species from 6 genera and 6 families. This research expands the existing understanding about testate amoeba species and distribution patterns at Ramsar sites in India as well as general ecological knowledge for future surveys and conservation efforts, especially for wetlands.