A new species of marine Gastrotricha from Maine, USA: Tetranchyroderma mainensis (Macrodasyida, Thaumastodermatidae)

Abstract

A new species of pentancrous thaumastodermatid (Phylum Gastrotricha, Order Macrodasyida), Tetranchyroderma mainensis sp. nov., is described from an unusual sandy overwash in the upper intertidal zone at Griffiths Head, Reid State Park, Maine, USA. The species differs from others in the genus by its large size (adults to 750 µm), by the continuous series of ventral post-oral adhesive tubes that runs from side to side (TbA 22 with 2 per side behind this series and 6 longer tubes per side lateral to the mouth), by numerous tubes inserting along the lateral surfaces (>50 TbL, TbVL), and by small cephalic protuberances borne dorsally.

Keywords:

• Gastrotricha
• littoral
• Macrodasyida
• Meiofauna
• North Atlantic
• taxonomy

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Acknowledgements

We have thanked Dr Nathan Riser (now deceased) for collecting live material during the summer of 1992 and again in September 1992. We also wish to thank Dr Trish Morse and the Marine Science Institute at Nahant, Massachusetts for aid in analysing the original specimens by means of scanning electron microscopy. We appreciate the valuable suggestions that were made by two anonymous reviewers.

Notes

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark