Echiniscus canedoi, da Cunha & do Nascimento Ribeiro, 1962

Gąsiorek, Piotr & Vončina, Katarzyna, 2023, Atlas of the Echiniscidae (Heterotardigrada) of the World-part I: West Palaearctic Echiniscus species, Zootaxa 5344 (1), pp. 1-72 : 16

6. Echiniscus canedoi da Cunha & do Nascimento Ribeiro, 1962

Locus typicus: ca. 32°40’45”N, 16°50’41”W: Portugal, Madeira, Camacha .

Etymology: The name commemorates Dr. Canedo de Morais. A noun in the genitive singular.

Shortened description: Small (ca. 200 μm). Body appendage configuration A-C-D-Dd, all trunk appendages are spines. Dorsal plate sculpturing comprises only large pores (the spinulosus type). Claws small; the presence of primary spurs was not specified, but they are only rarely absent in Echiniscus , thus probably the holotype exhibited them.

Remarks: Only a single specimen was found and described as the holotype, and our newly collected samples did not contain such morphotype. Considering a typical intraspecific variability exhibited by representatives of the spinulosus morphogroup ( Gąsiorek et al. 2022), it is practically impossible that the original description veritably reflects morphology of this species. However, it is currently distinguishable from other taxa, especially that spines Dd were smooth and spines E absent in the holotype. Otherwise, E. canedoi could be conspecific with E. scabrospinosus Fontoura, 1982 , which is present on Madeira (see below). There is an urgent need of redescription.