Doryphoribius neglectus sp. n. and Parascon nichollsae sp. n., new species of eutardigrades from Australia Author Pilato, Giovanni Author Lisi, Oscar text Zootaxa 2004 545 1 7 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.157549 5bffd702-810a-4a4c-911a-b842804842c8 1175­5326 157549 E59FE385-2FBE-46CE-97BD-E67D37D2C424 Parascon nichollsae n. sp. ( Fig. 2. A –D) Description of the holotype : Body length 220.0 µm, colorless, cuticle smooth without pores, eye spots absent. Bucco­pharyngeal apparatus of Parascon type ( Fig. 2 A ); buccal tube rigid without ventral lamina, pharyngeal tube rigid without spiral thickening; apophyses for the insertion of the stylet muscles shaped like flat ridges; their caudal processes (very thin and pointing laterally in the genus) not visible due to the orientation of the specimen. No cuticular drop­like thickening present between buccal and pharyngeal tube. Stylet furcae very small, with very short branches, not swollen. Stylet supports present. Total length of the bucco­pharyngeal tube 20.8 µm; buccal tube 15.5 µm long (pbf = 74.5) and 1.5 µm wide (pt = 9.7). Pharyngeal bulb without apophyses and placoids ( Fig. 2 A , C). Claws of Hypsibius type ( Fig. 2 C); main branches with thin accessory points. On all legs the external claws have, as the other species of genera Parascon , Itaquascon and Astatumen , a slightly forked base. Due to the orientation, we were able to measure only the external claws of the first pair of legs (12.7 µm long: pt = 81.9), the external claws of the second pair of legs (13.4 µm long: pt = 86.5), and the internal claws of the second pair of legs (5.7 µm: pt = 36.8). Lunules and other cuticular thickenings on the legs absent.

Egg unknown.
Etymology: the	name	is	in	honour	of	C.	A.	Nicholls	who	sent	to	us	the	holotype	of	the
new species.

FIGURE 2. A, Bucco­pharyngeal apparatus of Parascon nichollsae sp. n. ; B, bucco­pharyngeal apparatus of Parascon schusteri ; C, claws of the first three pairs of legs of Parascon nichollsae sp. n. ; D, claws of the first three pairs of legs of Parascon schusteri . (Scale bar = 20 µm). Differential diagnosis: Up to now only one species of genus Parascon is known: Parascon schusteri Pilato & Binda 1987 ( Fig. 2 B) from Tanzania . The new species differs from it in the following features: shorter pharyngeal tube length in relation to the total length of the bucco­pharyngeal tube (see Fig. 2 and the values of the pbf index in table 1), shorter claws with lower values of the pt index (table 1). TABLE 1. Length (in µm) of some structures of Parascon nichollsae n. sp and Parascon schusteri .

Parascon nichollsae	Parascon schusteri
L e n g t h (µ m) pt	L e n g t h (µ m) pt
Body	220.0	325.0
Bucco­pharyngal tube	20.8	26.5
Buccal tube	15.5	16.9
pbf	74.5	63.8
Pharyngeal tube	5.4	9.5
pbf	26.0	35.8
Buccal tube width	1.5 9.7	1.6 9.5
External claws I	12.7 81.9	??
Internal claws I	??	9.5 56.2
External claws II	13.4 86.5	17.2 101.8
Internal claws II	5.7 36.8	10.0 58.2
External claws III	??	17.8 105.3
Internal claws III	??	10.4 61.5
Posterior claws IV	??	17.7 104.7
Anterior claws IV	??	10.2 60.3
Acknowledgements

We thank C. A. Nicholls who sent the	slide with	specimens	of the	new species. The
research was financially supported by the	University	of Catania,	Fondo	Ricerca d’Ateneo.
References

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