Lepidochaetus Chaetonotus

Garraffoni, Andre R. S., Araujo, Thiago Q., Lourenco, Anete P. & Balsamo, Maria, 2010, New data on freshwater psammic Gastrotricha from Brazil, ZooKeys 60, pp. 1-12 : 5-6

Chaetonotus sp. Fig. 6Table 5

Material.

Gouveia: 3 specimens.

Description.

The description is based on an adult specimen 236.95 μm in total length. Head with three lobes and one pair of ciliary tufts. Pharynx 64.93 μm in length from the posterior edge of the mouth to the pharyngo-intestinal junction (PhIJ), at U27. Hypostomion as a weak transverse furrow. Three pairs of lateral parafurcal spines, the two posteriormost longer than the adhesives tube. Adhesive tubes very long and thin.

Remarks.

The genus Lepidochaetus was originally described by Kisielewski (1991) to group some Chaetonotus species characterized by numerous, rounded, unkeeled scales, provided with long and thin spines covering both the dorsal and the ventral body surfaces. However, here we follow Balsamo et al. (2009) who considered this taxon as a subgenus of Chaetonotus . Our specimens resemble Chaetonotus (Lepidochaetus) brasilianus ( Kisielewski 1991), due a similar scale shape and distribution, and rearmost lateral spines arranged in three pairs, which gradually grow in length in a caudal direction. However, they can be distinguished from the previously described species by the absence of cuticular rods and the neck sensorial bristles.

Distribution.

Brazil: Diamantina, Gouveia (Minas Gerais State).