Lepidochaetus zelinkai ( Grünspan, 1908 ), Grunspan, 1908

Kånneby, Tobias, 2011, New species and new records of freshwater Chaetonotida (Gastrotricha) from Sweden, Zootaxa 3115, pp. 29-55 : 44-45

Lepidochaetus zelinkai ( Grünspan, 1908)

( Figure 12 )

Localities.: Small stream, Mount Snasahögarna, Jämtland (N 63º 12’ 39’’; E 12º 18’ 19’’); Small pond, Askö, Södermanland (N 58º 49’ 23’’; E 17º 38’ 32’’); Freshwater rockpool among Sphagnum spp., Hållö, Bohuslän (N 58º 20’ 03’’; E 11º 12’ 50’’); Artificial ponds, Fiskebäckskil, Bohuslän (N 58 14’ 39’’; E 11º 27’ 16’’); Freshwater rockpool, Runmar, Stockholm archipelago (N 59º 17’ 22’’; E 18º 47’ 56’’); Small lake, Highway E10, Lapland (N 68º 20’ 53’’; E 19º 02’ 16’’); Sphagnum spp. Bog at Highway E10, Lapland (N 68º 26’ 04’’; E 18º 14’ 53’’); Pond south of Lake Torneträsk, Abisko, Lapland (N 68º 21’ 19’’; E 18º 49’ 21’’).

Material. 8 specimens. TL, 242–309 µm; FL, 30–35 µm; PhL, 50–62 µm; MD, 9–12 µm; DC, 10–12 DR, 35– 36 VC, 6–8.

Long and slender species, with hammer-shaped, three- to five-lobed head, with large cephalion. Dorsal scales are elliptical to heart-shaped and partially overlapping. Three pairs of long rigid bifid spines and a single median bifid spine, all in posterior dorsal trunk region overshooting the furcal branches, are characteristic of the species. The other dorsal spines are simple or, especially in the posterior trunk region, have less well developed denticles. Interciliary area is covered by oval keeled scales carrying short simple spines, except for the terminal end which is covered by a couple of larger scales with longer spines. The Swedish specimens fall well within the ranges presented in the literature.

This species is widely distributed in Europe (see e. g. Grünspan 1908; Greuter 1917; Rudescu 1967; Martin 1981; Schwank 1990; Balsamo & Tongiorgi 1995; Kisielewski 1998) and is also reported from Japan ( Sudzuki 1971), Korea ( Lee & Chang 2000), Canada ( Schwank 1990), Argentina ( Grosso 1976) and Brazil ( Kisielewski 1991).

Figures

FIGURE 12. Lepidochaetus zelinkai. A) Habitus. B) Shape of pharynx and mouth. C) Dorsal view of mid-trunk region showing distribution of spined scales. Scale bars: A, 40 µm; B, 20 µm and C, 10 µm.