Lepadella yangambi, Luo & Segers, 2020

Luo, Yongting & Segers, Hendrik, 2020, Eight new Lepadellidae (Rotifera, Monogononta) from the Congo bring to level endemism in Africa’s rotifers, Zootaxa 4731 (3), pp. 371-387 : 378

Lepadella yangambi n. sp.

Figures 8 a–d, I-8

Type locality. Yangambi primary forest, DR Congo, 11 June 2012 (Y27).

Material examined. Holotype: One female specimen in permanent slide, deposited in RBINS ( RIR.321) ; Paratypes: seven permanent slides containing one female specimen each, and three permanent slides containing two female specimens each, deposited in RBINS ( RIR.322 to RIR.331); two permanent slides containing three female specimens each, CSB-UK; one permanent slide containing five female specimens, deposited in SHNU; numerous additional specimens in the sample from the type locality .

Differential diagnosis. Lepadella yangambi n. sp. can be confused with Lepadella bidentata Voronkov, 1913 and L. dactyliseta ( Stenroos, 1898) . While the posterior spines are clearly set off from the lorica in L. yangambi n. sp. and formed as extensions of the lorica in the other taxa, the deeply invaginated dorsal head aperture margin and blunt sublongitudinal ridges on the dorsal lorica are unique to L. yangambi n. sp. Finally, the new species has a much higher lorica than L. biloba Hauer, 1958 .

Differential diagnosis. Parthenogenetic female (male unknown): Lorica elongate, elliptical, width about two thirds of length. Ventral lorica relatively flat, dorsally strongly domed, lorica less than twice as wide as high. Dorsal lorica ornamented by a pair of sublongitudinal, sublateral, blunt ridges starting near the head aperture, and running to near the openings of the dorsal antennas. Head aperture ventrally a deep U- or V-shaped sinus, dorsally semi-circular in anterior view, broadly U-shaped in ventral view, no collar. Lateral edges of lorica smooth, evenly curved, posterior edge convex. Apertures to the lateral antennas situated at the level of the first foot pseudosegment in contracted specimens, arranged symmetrically about medially from the longitudinal symmetry axis to the lateral margins of the lorica. Foot aperture elongate, broadest medially, lateral margins converging to both anteriorly and posteriorly. Foot with three distinct pseudosegments, the distal one slightly longer than the second, bearing a dorsal sensory groove near its basis. Two equal toes, these evenly tapering to distally.

Measurements (n=10). Lorica length: 75–82 (77), lorica width: 58–75 (61), head aperture width: 23–28 (25), depth dorsally: 5–12 (7), ventrally: 15–20 (18), foot aperture width: 12–18 (14), length: 18–19 (18), toe length: 17–21 (19).

Etymology. This specific name is a noun in apposition, derived from the name of its type locality, Yangambi primary forest.

Figures

FIGURE 5–9. Lepadella spp., line drawings. Figure 5a–c: Lepadella hanneloreae n. sp., habitus. a: ventral; b: dorsal; c: frontal. Figure 6a–c: Lepadella jingruae n. sp., habitus. a: ventral; b: lateral; c: frontal. Figure 7a–c: Lepadella weijiai n. sp., habitus. a: ventral; b: dorsal; c: frontal. Figure 8a–c: Lepadella yangambi n. sp., habitus. a: ventral; b: dorsal; c: lateral; d: caudal. Figure 9a–c: Lepadella wilungulai n. sp., habitus. a: ventral; b: dorsal; c: frontal. (all scale bars: 50µm).