Three new tardigrade species associated with barnacles from the Thai coast of Andaman Sea

摘要

Three new marine heterotardigrades, Archechiniscus symbalanus, and Styraconyx craticuliformis of the family Halechiniscidae and Echiniscoides andamanensis of the family Echiniscoididae, are reported on the basis of the specimens sieved from intertidal barnacles in the Thai coast of the Andaman Sea. Archechinisos symbalanus n. sp. is related to Archehiniscus minutus Grimaldi De Zio and D'Addabbo Gallo, but discernible from it by possessing median cirrus, styler sheath, sensory spine of leg I, prominent basal processes on all leg pairs, and S-shaped seminal receptacles. Styraconyx craticuliformis n. sp. is similar to S. craticulus (Pollock) in bearing the grid-like dorsal cuticle, but distinguished from it by the shape of claws and cirrophore of primary clava. Ediniscoides andamanensis n. sp. is related to Echiniscoides pollocki Hallas and Kristensen and E. sigismundi sigismundi (M. Schultze) in sharing the same patterns of sensory leg appendages and the claw configuration of 8-8-8-7, but characterized by the shape of cirri, pharyngeal apparatus and female gonopore.