Tetrakentron synaptae Cuénot, 1892

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, Bartels, Paul J., Roszkowska, Milena & Nelson, Diane R., 2015, The Zoogeography of Marine Tardigrada, Zootaxa 4037 (1), pp. 1-189 : 112-113

120. Tetrakentron synaptae Cuénot, 1892

Tetrakentron synaptae nov. gen., nov. sp. ( Cuénot 1892)

Tetrakentron synaptae (Kristensen 1980)

Terra typica: Celtic Sea ( France, Europe)

Celtic Sea:

• 48°44′N, 03°59′W; 0 m bsl: [FAO27] Type Locality: France, Brittany Region, Roscoff, from peribuccal tentacles of the holothurian Leptosynapta galliennei . Cuénot (1892, 1932), Marcus (1928b, 1929, 1936), Barel & Kramers (1970), Land, van der (1975)

• 48°44′N, 03°59′W; 0 m bsl: [FAO27] France, Brittany Region, Roscoff, Roscoff Marine Biological Station. Jørgensen et al. (2010)

• 48°43′N, 03°58′W; 0 m bsl: [FAO27] France, Brittany Region, E of Roscoff, rocky Madeira beach, from Leptosynapta galliennei . Kristensen (1980)

• 48°42′N, 03°47′W; 0 m bsl: [FAO27] France, Brittany Region, coast of NW Brittany, Terrénèz, from Leptosynapta galliennei . Barel & Kramers (1970), Land, van der (1975)

• 48°39′N, 02°02′W; 0 m bsl: [FAO27] France, Brittany Region, probably St. Malo [Saint-Malo]. Thulin (1942), Land, van der (1975)

Record numbers (Sea/Ocean classification): Celtic Sea: 5; total: 5.

Record numbers (FAO classification): FAO27: 5; total: 5.

Remarks: This is a monotypic genus that is closely related to the genus Styraconyx (based on claw structure) (Land, van der 1975, Kristensen & Higgins 1984a). It is a parasitic species associated exclusively with the holothurian Leptosynapta galliennei (for more details on the biology of this species see Kristensen (1980)). This species has been found only in Roscoff and a few neighbouring sites off the Brittany coast.