Echiniscus taibaiensis Wang &amp; Li 2005, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wang, Lizhi
name: Li, Xiaochen
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Tardigrada
Heterotardigrada
Echiniscoidea
Echiniscidae
Echiniscus
Echiniscus taibaiensis

description: <i>Echiniscus taibaiensis</i> sp. nov. (Fig. 1A–B; Fig. 2A–C, Table 1) <b>Material examined.</b> Holotype (male) (Slide number MTB0508200), two paratypes (Slide number MTB0508201, female; MTB0508202, female) were collected from Mt. Taibai at 3,590 m a.s.l. (33°57.12' N, 107°45.77' E). The specimens are deposited at the College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, P. R. China. <b>Description of the holotype</b> (measurements are provided in Table 1). Colour red. Eyespots black. Cephalic appendages include internal buccal cirrus, cephalic papilla, external buccal cirrus, cirrus A, and clava; lateral and dorsal appendages consist of cirrus A, C, D, E, C d and D d. Armour consists of single cephalic plate, scapular plate, first single median plate, first paired­plates, second median plate, second paired­plates, and terminal plate; third median plate absent (Fig. 1A–B); sculpture absent on the anterior part of the second median plate; notches absent on terminal plate. Plates decorated with minute, closely spaced polygons and irregular pores (Fig. 2A), identical to cuticular sculpture of <i>Echiniscus cheonyoungi</i> Moon &amp; Kim, 1994; sculpture on legs absent; dentate collar with 8–9 teeth. Papilla­like projection present on the lateral surface of the fourth pair of legs, spurs absent on all claws of each leg (Fig. 2B–C). Eggs unknown. <b>Remarks.</b> The paratypes are similar to the holotype with regards to the qualitative characters. <b>Etymology.</b> This species is named after the type locality, Mt. Taibai. <b>Differential diagnosis.</b> <i>Echiniscus taibaiensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is similar to <i>E. velaminis</i> Murray in having a similar arrangement of lateral and dorsal appendages and in lacking the third median plate, but it differs from <i>E. velaminis</i> in lacking the spine inserted near the base of cirrus D and in having much shorter dorsal appendages C d and D d (<i>E. taibaiensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>: C d 9.2–12.5µm, D d 10.5–15.7µm; <i>E. velaminis</i>: C d 150µm, D d 110µm (based on drawing from Ramazzotti &amp; Maucci, 1983)). <i>E. velaminis</i> also has notches in the terminal plate, which are lacking in <i>E. taibaiensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>. The new species is also similar to <i>E. cheonyoungi</i> Moon &amp; Kim, but it differs from it by lacking both cirrus B and median plate 3. <i>E. cheonyoungi</i> also has "rather shallow" notches in the terminal plate while they are lacking in <i>E. taibaiensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>.
description: Published as part of <i>Wang, Lizhi &amp; Li, Xiaochen, 2005, Echiniscus taibaiensis sp. nov. and a new record of Echiniscus bisetosus Heinis (Tardigrada, Echiniscidae) from China, pp. 39-45 in Zootaxa 1092 (1)</i> on page 40, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1092.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/5051200
description: {"references": ["Moon, S. Y. &amp; Kim, W. (1994) New species of Echiniscus (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscoidea: Echiniscidae) from Corea. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 107 (3), 511 - 513.", "Ramazzotti, G. &amp; Maucci, W. (1983) Il Phylum Tardigrada. Memorie dellIstituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, Pallanza, 41, 1 - 1012."]}