Culexiregiloricus, a new genus of Nanaloricidae (Loricifera) from the deep sea of the Guinea Basin (Southeast Atlantic) *
Author
Gad, Gunnar
text
Zootaxa
2009
2009-05-11
2096
1
33
49
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.2096.1.5
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.2096.1.5
1175-5326
5320776
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.