Scutiloricus, Neves & Kristensen & Møbjerg, 2021

Neves, Ricardo Cardoso, Kristensen, Reinhardt Møbjerg & Møbjerg, Nadja, 2021, New records on the rich loriciferan fauna of Trezen ar Skoden (Roscoff, France): Description of two new species of Nanaloricus and the new genus Scutiloricus, PLoS ONE (e 0250403) 16 (5), pp. 1-42 : 24-25

Genus. Scutiloricus gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:590F4BBB-4261-472F-AD76-8272C5FFE3C5

(Type species: Scutiloricus hugoi gen. et sp. nov.)

Genus diagnosis. Adults. (1) mouth cone with 8 oral ridges of different length and characterized by posterior sclerotized oral furca and absence of oral stylets; (2) introvert with 9 rows of scalids; (3) first row with eight clavoscalids that differ between males (multiform, broad and flat, all branched except for the midventral pair) and females (four-segmented, slender, unbranched); (4) second row with 9 four-segmented, leg-like spinoscalids; (5) third row with 7 two-segmented, feather-like scalids; (6) fourth row with 16 spinoscalids of two types: 8 three-segmented, leg-like scalids (type A) alternate with 8 three-segmented spinoscalids with a feather-like distal segment (type B); (7) fifth to seventh rows all similar, each row with 30 leg-like, three-segmented scalids; (8) eighth row with 30 long, unsegmented spinoscalids whith a small conical base; (9) ninth row with 30 oval, plate-like scalids with several minute teeth; (10) neck with 8 single trichoscalids alternating with 7 double trichoscalids, with both the single and each of the double trichoscalids protruding from a single trichoscalid plate; (11) square lorica composed of six cuticular plates with reinforced anterior margins, honeycomb sculpturing and bearing a total of 14 large anterior spikes; (12) anterior spikes with 3–4 transverse cuticular ridges, except for the lateral spikes, which are reinforced internally by thick cuticle with a triangle wave-shape; (13) 10 flosculi (4 dorsolateral pairs and 1 dorsal pair) present posteriorly on the lorica; (14) posterior region of the lorica characterized by a slightly invaginated anal field from which a small anal cone protrudes posteroventrally, flanked by a pair of small spurs; (15) posterior region of the lorica also characterized by two pairs of pores: a dorsolateral (gonopores?) pair and a ventral (gland outlets?) pair; (16) internally, females are characterized by a pair of seminal receptacles (filled with mature spermatozoa) located in the abdomen and postero-dorsally to the ovaries. Larval stages were not found.

Etymology. The generic name is composed by the Latin words scuti (= shield) and lorica (corset), masculine gender.