Culexiregiloricus, Gad, 2009

Gad, Gunnar, 2009, Culexiregiloricus, a new genus of Nanaloricidae (Loricifera) from the deep sea of the Guinea Basin (Southeast Atlantic) *, Zootaxa 2096 (1), pp. 33-49 : 36

Culexiregiloricus gen. nov.

Type species: Culexiregiloricus trichiscalida sp. nov.

Etymology: The generic name is composed of three words: culex (Lat. mosquito), rex (Lat. king) and lorica (Lat. corset), the first part means mosquito-king, referring to the characteristic long mouth tube of the new species which resemble the long piercing-sucking mouthparts of a mosquito.

Diagnosis of postlarva: Postlarva of small size, 285 µm length, posterior part of well-defined mouth cone divided in 2 sections. The first section is broad, bearing 8 elevated, external furcae and 8 oral ridges of identical length and structure, anterior second section being a narrow and long mouth tube. Inside of buccal channel begins with 6 oral stylets, of which the main part consists of a sclerotized but flexible buccal tube, which is long, narrow, and has a singly annulated inner cuticle layer. Connection of buccal tube and large round muscular pharyngeal bulb with triradiate internal prepharyngeal armature equipped with manubrium. Pharyngeal bulb, located (in fully extended holotype) at level of posterior half of thorax, internal pharyngeal layer sclerotized with 5 transversal rows of placoids. All 8 clavoscalids identical in structure, composed of 4 segments, basal segment enlarged, distal segments extremely slim, long, and fringed densely with fine trichoids. Long spinoscalids of 2 nd to 6 th rows are filiform and delicate; long type A spinoscalids of 2 nd row basally enlarged and also covered densely with fine trichoids; type B spinoscalids of 2 nd row short, indistinct, and covered with many fine hairy spinules; type A spinoscalids of 3 rd row long, type B spinoscalids slightly stronger, distally claw-like, also covered with many fine hairy spinules. Long spinoscalids of 6 th row missing, represented only by tiny protoscalids; scalids of 8 th row in form of small beak-like protrusions. First row of basal plates of anterothorax consisting of 7 scale-like triangular protrusions alternating with 8 double toothlike formations. Narrow interthorax bearing 2 circles of narrow but distinct trichoscalids which vary slightly in length but are identical in structure; paired trichoscalids separated basally. Lorica consisting of 8 plates and of 8 wide intercalary plica, plates with 2–8 transversal undulations (upwellings of cuticle), intercalary plica with thinner cuticle, defined by primary and secondary longitudinal folds, and without undulation; surface of lorica with distinct square-like as well as honey-comb ultrasculpture; ventral lorica-plate on both sides in anal region with locking apparatus flanked by 2 short, massive and longitudinal, cuticular protrusions; edge of lorica with 14 distinct spikes of moderate length; each spike with single indistinct window, transversal bridge, and single gland duct. Caudal half of lorica with 8 papillate flosculi, 3 of them forming clusters on both large lateral plates. Ventral anal region with small and slightly pointed anal cone located centro-caudally.