Marine gastrotrichs from the Tremiti archipelago in the southern Adriatic Sea, with the description of two new species of Urodasys

Abstract

Twenty‐four macrodasyid and thirteen chaetonotid species of marine Gastrotricha are reported. Two of these species ‐ Urodasys apuliensis and U. bucinastylis ‐ are new, while the macrodasyid genus Crasiella is reported for the first time in Italy and the Mediterranean basin. Samples were taken at depths varying from 1 to 34 metres. Altogether, the number of species found was relatively high and comparable with the range of fauna found on the major Italian islands. A possible evolution of the reproductive system in the genus Urodasys is briefly discussed.

Keywords:

• Gastrotricha
• Marine meiofauna
• Mediterranean fauna
• Tremiti Archipelago
• Italian fauna