First report of Loricifera from the North East Pacific Region, with the description of two new species

TY - JOUR

T1 - First report of Loricifera from the North East Pacific Region, with the description of two new species

AU - Cardoso Neves, Ricardo Alexandre

AU - Kristensen, Reinhardt Møbjerg

AU - Rohal, Melissa

AU - Thistle, David

AU - Sørensen, Martin Vinther

PY - 2019/6/1

Y1 - 2019/6/1

N2 - Loricifera is a phylum of free-living, marine animals of microscopic size, which are distributed worldwide across an extensive range of depths. The loriciferan fauna of the North East Pacific Region, however, has never been studied. In the present contribution, we describe Rugiloricus californiensis sp. nov. and Urnaloricus ibenae sp. nov. collected from deep-sea localities off the coast of California and Oregon, respectively. The female of R. californiensis sp. nov. is characterized by, among other features, a mouth cone relatively long with a conical distal section and three long oral stylets surrounding the mouth opening; an introvert with nine rows of scalids, including the first row of eight clavoscalids, four dorsal broad, and four ventral club-shaped and slender; fourth row with 15 leg-shaped spinoscalids alternating with 15 hook-shaped scalids with a terminal claw with a tricuspid end; eighth row with 30 extremely long, unsegmented spinoscalids with swollen bases and ventral serration; ninth row with 30 short beak-like scalids alternating with 30 small round plates each with a minute spine projecting posteriorly; neck with 15 single trichoscalids of identical structure but differing slightly in length; end-cone with unique, lateral oval structures. As for the second species described here, the Higgins larva of U. ibenae sp. nov. differs from its congener in having an introvert with eight two-segmented clavoscalids; a thorax with nine transverse folds, in which the first fold is a protoscalid-devoided collar; a pair of anterior lateroventral setae with single thick spike and a pair of anterior midventral setae ramified, with two curved branches; a pair of toes with spine-like ends that are longer than the body; posterolateral setae with ball-and-socket bases, and posterodorsal setae with oval bases; and, internally, by a mouth cone containing an internal armature and a pharyngeal bulb. We discuss our findings and compare R. californiensis sp. nov. and U. ibenae sp. nov. with their respective congeners. In addition, we provide information about further unidentified loriciferan specimens found at the study sites.

AB - Loricifera is a phylum of free-living, marine animals of microscopic size, which are distributed worldwide across an extensive range of depths. The loriciferan fauna of the North East Pacific Region, however, has never been studied. In the present contribution, we describe Rugiloricus californiensis sp. nov. and Urnaloricus ibenae sp. nov. collected from deep-sea localities off the coast of California and Oregon, respectively. The female of R. californiensis sp. nov. is characterized by, among other features, a mouth cone relatively long with a conical distal section and three long oral stylets surrounding the mouth opening; an introvert with nine rows of scalids, including the first row of eight clavoscalids, four dorsal broad, and four ventral club-shaped and slender; fourth row with 15 leg-shaped spinoscalids alternating with 15 hook-shaped scalids with a terminal claw with a tricuspid end; eighth row with 30 extremely long, unsegmented spinoscalids with swollen bases and ventral serration; ninth row with 30 short beak-like scalids alternating with 30 small round plates each with a minute spine projecting posteriorly; neck with 15 single trichoscalids of identical structure but differing slightly in length; end-cone with unique, lateral oval structures. As for the second species described here, the Higgins larva of U. ibenae sp. nov. differs from its congener in having an introvert with eight two-segmented clavoscalids; a thorax with nine transverse folds, in which the first fold is a protoscalid-devoided collar; a pair of anterior lateroventral setae with single thick spike and a pair of anterior midventral setae ramified, with two curved branches; a pair of toes with spine-like ends that are longer than the body; posterolateral setae with ball-and-socket bases, and posterodorsal setae with oval bases; and, internally, by a mouth cone containing an internal armature and a pharyngeal bulb. We discuss our findings and compare R. californiensis sp. nov. and U. ibenae sp. nov. with their respective congeners. In addition, we provide information about further unidentified loriciferan specimens found at the study sites.

U2 - 10.1007/s12526-018-0898-1

DO - 10.1007/s12526-018-0898-1

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1867-1616

VL - 49

SP - 1151

EP - 1168

JO - Marine Biodiversity

JF - Marine Biodiversity

IS - 3

ER -