Four new species of the aplacophoran class Caudofoveata (Mollusca) from the southern Sea of Japan

Abstract

Four new species of the aplacophoran class Caudofoveata are described from the southern Sea of Japan, at a depth of 50–105 m. These are two Scutopus species of the family Limifossoridae, one Falcidens species and one Chaetoderma species of the family Chaetodermatidae. Scutopus schanderi sp. nov. has a greenish body in life and a large, heavily sclerotized radula. Scutopus hamatanii sp. nov. has a brownish body in life and a small, slightly sclerotized radula. Falcidens ryokuyomaruae sp. nov. has a tail-like narrow posterior body with a dark brownish pedal shield and lanceolate sclerites with flared base and broad keel. Chaetoderma marisjaponicum sp. nov. has erect sclerites at the anterior body.

http:/zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:35D0830A-F351-4FC4-BCD1-FA3C2B697AE5

Keywords:

• Caudofoveata
• new aplacophoran species
• taxonomy
• northwestern Pacific

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. Yoshiaki Kai, Maizuru Fisheries Research Station, Kyoto University, for conducting sampling cruises and kind help in collecting samples, and Captains Kazuo Sato and Yoshihito Ogura and staffs of the same station for kind help in collecting samples. We are also grateful to Dr. Tadashi Akiyama, Ushimado Marine Laboratory, Okayama University for providing us with sampling equipment, kind help in samplings and sorting Caudofoveata specimens, and two anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments. This is a contribution to the collection Who are the ‘Aculifera’? in memory of Christoffer Schander.