Echiniscus taibaiensis sp. nov. and a new record of Echiniscus bisetosus Heinis (Tardigrada, Echiniscidae) from China

Abstract

The main characters of Echiniscus taibaiensis sp. nov. are listed as follows: dorsal plates are decorated with polygons and irregular pores, median plate 3 absent, notches absent on terminal plate; lateral and dorsal appendages consist of cirrus A, C, D, E, C^d and D^d; spurs absent on all claws of each leg. This new species is similar to E. velaminis Murray in having a similar arrangement of lateral and dorsal appendages and in lacking the third median plate, but it differs from E. velaminis in lacking the spine inserted near the base of cirrus D and in having much shorter dorsal appendages C^d and D^d. A new record of Echiniscus bisetosus Heinis is also reported from China in this article.