Polymerurus nodicaudus (Voigt, 1901)

Schwank, Peter & Kånneby, Tobias, 2014, Contribution to the freshwater gastrotrich fauna of wetland areas of southwestern Ontario (Canada) with redescriptions of seven species and a check-list for North America, Zootaxa 3811 (4), pp. 463-490 : 468

Polymerurus nodicaudus (Voigt, 1901)

Syn. Chaetonotus nodicaudus Voigt, 1901

Syn. Polymerurus nodicaudus var. comatus ( Greuter, 1917)

Localities. Waterloo and the Puslinch district.

Material. 4 specimens.

Two morphologically different forms of this cosmopolitan species were found in Ontario. One of them is identical to those described from eastern Hesse, Germany. The spines at the base of the furca are quite elongated and the ventral interciliary area is covered by small spined scales only. On the contrary, the other morphological form has 18 small rectangular plates in the ventral neck region and the intestinal region is covered by small, spined scales. Both specimens have no spines close to the adhesive tubes. Description of these two specimens as separate species seems unjustified.