Xenotrichula

Todaro, M. Antonio, Zotto, Matteo Dal, Bownes, Sarah J. & Perissinotto, Renzo, 2011, First records of Gastrotricha from South Africa, with description of a new species of Halichaetonotus (Chaetonotida, Chaetonotidae), ZooKeys 142, pp. 1-13 : 8

Xenotrichula sp. Fig. 1F

Material.

1 adult specimen. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, St Lucia beach, 22 February 2010, NAF Miranda legit.

Morphometry.

TL, 196 µm; PhL, 49.5 µm; PhIJ at U29; FuL, 27 µm (adhesive tube 10.2 µm); dorsal cuticular covering made up of 15 columns of 48 pedunculated scales (median column).

Remarks.

Morphometry and general appearance of the specimens found at St Lucia fall within the taxonomic range of the cosmopolitan Xenotrichula intermedia Remane, 1934 and of an as yet unnamed Xenotrichula sp. from Kuwait. The latter two species are siblings, sharing almost identical external morphology but very different organization of the muscular system (see Leasi and Todaro 2009). Technical reasons (several specimens are necessary) prevented the use of confocal laser scanning microscopy to study the organization of the muscular system in the only specimen available. Consequently, identification of the animal found at St. Lucia could not be made with sufficient confidence.