Aspidophorus marinus Remane, 1926

Chatterjee, Tapas & Todaro, M. Antonio, 2021, An annotated checklist of the chaetonotidan Gastrotricha from India, Zootaxa 5027 (3), pp. 332-350 : 333

Aspidophorus marinus Remane, 1926

Records from India.ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS: Chiriatapu in South Andaman— Rao (1980); ANDHRA PRADESH: Visakhapatnam (Waltair)— Ganapati & Rao (1967), Rao & Ganapati (1968); LAKSHADWEEP: Kavaratti, Minicoy— Rao (1991); ODISHA (Orissa): Puri, Gopalpur, Konark— Rao (1969, 1989); GENERAL RE- CORD: Rao (1972), Naidu & Rao (2004), Rao (2005).

Habitat (as in Indian records). Marine, intertidal; brackish water; fine and medium sands.

Distribution. Cosmopolitan.

Remarks. The species was originally described from the Bay of Kiel, Germany and thereafter it has been reported from several areas of the World including northern Europe, the Black sea, Atlantic coast of the US, Galapagos Islands, Maldives and Japan.

Remane (1926) indicated for the species a total body length of 120-140 μm and the presence of two refractive eye spots on the head. The Indian specimens possessing the two refractive bodies and measuring 150-160 μm in total length agree rather well with the original description and therefore on morphological grounds may be reasonably affiliated to the taxon. Naidu & Rao (2004) indicate for this species a total length ranging from 150 to 240 μm; in our opinion specimens referred to in the literature having a size exceeding much the lower limits indicated above (i.e.> 160 μm) should not be considered as belonging to A. marinus .