Rumen ciliate (Protista: Ciliophora) fauna of cattle (Bos taurus taurus Linnaeus, 1758) in Antalya

In this study, the rumen ciliate fauna of domestic cattle (Bos taurus taurus Linnaeus, 1758) living in Antalya was surveyed. As a result, twenty-nine species and nine morphotypes in ten genera were identified. The average density of ciliates in the rumen contents from 15 domestic cattle was 100,0±73,4×10⁴ cells ml–1, and the average number of species per host is 11,4±3,2. Entodinium simulans and Isotricha prostoma had highest frequency of appearance (60%), whereas Diplodinium rangiferi, E. rectangulatum, Ostracodinium clipeolum, O. gracile and O. trivesiculatum had lowest frequency of appearance (6.7%). The majority of ciliates found in the rumen was Entodinium species which had 72.9% percentage composition.