Halichaetonotus

Todaro, M. Antonio, Zotto, Matteo Dal, Bownes, Sarah J. & Perissinotto, Renzo, 2011, First records of Gastrotricha from South Africa, with description of a new species of Halichaetonotus (Chaetonotida, Chaetonotidae), ZooKeys 142, pp. 1-13 : 7-8

Halichaetonotus sp. 2 Fig. 1D

Material.

2 adult specimens and 2 juveniles, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, St Lucia beach, 22 February 2010, NAF Miranda legit.

Morphometry.

TL, up to 104 µm; PhL, up to 25 µm; PhIJ at U29; FuL, up to 17.5 (adhesive tube 13 µm); dorsal cuticular covering made up of nine columns of 17 slightly overlapping, keeled scales. Scales round (up to 2-3 µm in diameter) on head and neck region becoming elliptical (up to 5 × 2 µm) over trunk. Ventrolaterally, 1+1 columns of hydrofoil scales bearing large lamellae.

Remarks.

Morphometry and general appearance of the specimens found at St Lucia match the metric and meristic characteristics of the cosmopolitan Halichaetonotus decipiens (Remane, 1929). Unfortunately, the detritus attached to the ventral side of one of the two adults and the large egg inside the second, prevented the observation of the cuticular details on the ventral side. Consequently, that identification to species cannot be made without reasonable doubts.