Cotylegaleatidae

De, Willem H., 2007, Cotylegaleatidae, a new family of Ploima (Rotifera: Monogononta), for Cotylegaleata perplexa gen. et sp. nov., from freshwater benthos of Belgium, Zootaxa 1425, pp. 35-43 : 36

Cotylegaleatidae fam. nov.

Diagnosis. Mouth-opening surrounded by hollow cup-shaped structure, head covered by non-retractile shield, distal foot pseudosegment with two toes and two ventro-lateral spurs, vitellarium J-shaped, trophi specialized virgate with two stiletto-shaped epipharyngeal elements.

Description. External morphology bilaterally symmetrical, with small head, large trunk, and long foot with two toes. Mouth opening antero-ventrally in a circular oral field lacking cilia. The oral field is part of a cup-shaped structure. Corona reduced, antero-dorsally from cup-shaped structure. Head covered by stiffened, non-retractile shield. Trunk with shallow lateral sulci. Foot with two toes and two ventro-lateral spurs. Vitellarium tubular, J-shaped. Trophi virgate, with two stiletto-shaped epipharyngeal sclerites.

Type genus. Cotylegaleata gen. nov.

Etymology. The name is derived from the type genus Cotylegaleata gen. nov.