An annotated checklist of the macrodasyidan Gastrotricha from India Author Chatterjee, Tapas Author Priyalakshmi, Geetha Author Todaro, M. Antonio text Zootaxa 2019 2019-01-21 4545 4 495 510 journal article 27674 10.11646/zootaxa.4545.4.3 7752c97e-c9bc-49c3-b1dd-0db7992b3e6c 1175-5326 2618301 B0910D8D-E387-4BDB-941F-40D06CBBBAD0 Paraturbanella brevicaudata Rao, 1991 = Paraturbanella brevicaudatus Records from India. LAKSHADWEEP : Kavaratti—Rao (1991); GENERAL RECORD: Naidu & Rao (2004) . Habitat. Marine, intertidal; coarse and medium coralline sand, 10 cm below surface between low and mid water levels. Distribution. India (Arabian Sea). Remarks. A redescription of the female and male apparatus of this species is necessary as in the earlier descriptions, the female gonad is reported to be single rather than paired as it is the rule in the genus, and the important information regarding the lay-out of the sperm ducts and the position of the male pore is missing. Turbanellids have a relatively limited number of morphological characteristics and lack sclerotized structures useful for accurate species discrimination; moreover, some traits (e.g., number of adhesive tubes) may vary according to the age and size of the individuals. As a consequence, misidentifications are likely to occur more frequently in this family than in others. Recent works on Turbanellidae have found the lay-out of the sperm ducts and the position of the male pore to be traits constant within a species and consequently more useful than other characters for species identification/discrimination (e.g., Todaro et al. 2017 ; Dal Zotto et al . 2018 ). Therefore, we recommend future descriptions to include such information.