Echiniscus bisculptus Maucci, 1983

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 : 11-13

3. Echiniscus bisculptus Maucci, 1983

Locus typicus: Morocco, Fès-Meknès, Bab Bou Idir.

Additional localities: Portugal, District of Santarém, Coruche ( Maucci & Durante Pasa 1985).

Etymology: The name stresses the presence of two elements of dorsal plate sculpturing: epicuticular granules and pores. An adjective in nominative singular.

Shortened description: Medium-sized to large (ca. 200–350 μm). No trunk appendages. Dorsal plate sculpturing comprises (1) densely arranged endocuticular pillars protruding to epicuticle as large granules; pillars interconnected via striae, pseudopores/pores present between them in most plate portions; (2) more sparsely distributed epicuticular granules in anterior portions of paired segmental plates I–II and median plate 2. Claws large and robust, but with minute primary spurs tightly adjacent to claw branches.

Remarks: This is the second species likely endemic to the westernmost part of the Palaearctic region. Its likely close relative, E. intricatus Gąsiorek et al., 2022 , dwells in South Africa. Given the peculiar dorsal sculpturing (see Gąsiorek et al. 2022), relatively large body size of adult females, and the absence of trunk appendages, E. bisculptus can be easily told apart from other Palaearctic echiniscids.