Lepoarctus coniferus

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, Bartels, Paul J., Roszkowska, Milena & Nelson, Diane R., 2015, The Zoogeography of Marine Tardigrada, Zootaxa 4037 (1), pp. 1-189 : 93-94

96. Lepoarctus coniferus ( Renaud-Mornant, 1975b)

Pleocola conifera n. sp. ( Renaud-Mornant 1975b)

Pleocola conifera Renaud-Mornant 1975 (Grimaldi de Zio et al. 1983a)

Pleocola conifera, Renaud Mornant 1975 (Grimaldi de Zio et al. 1983b)

Lepoarctus coniferus (Renaud-Mornant, 1975) = Pleocola conifera n. sp. sensu Renaud-Mornant, 1975, nov. comb. ( Kristensen & Renaud-Mornant 1983)

Terra typica: Indian Ocean ( Somalia, Africa)

Indian Ocean:

• 08°11.2′N, 50°57.4′E / 08°11′N, 50°57′E; 3095 m bsl: [FAO51] Somalian coast, Station 115, abyssal sediments. Renaud-Mornant (1975b)

• 01°20.5′N, 44°57.4′E / 01°21′N, 44°57′E; 1690 m bsl: [FAO51] Type Locality: Somalian coast, Station 143, abyssal sediments. Renaud-Mornant (1975b), Kristensen & Renaud-Mornant (1983)

Ionian Sea:

• 40°29′00′′N, 17°03′25′′E; 15 m bsl: [FAO37] Italy, Tarento Province, offshore near Chiatona, Secca dell’Armeleia, subtidal, organogenic, Amphioxus debris. Grimaldi de Zio et al. (1983a,b)

• 39°52′00′′N, 16°42′30′′E; 20–200 m bsl: [FAO37] Italy, Cosenza Province, High Ionian Sea offshore, Calabrian Coast, Amendolara Shoal, coralligenous sand, coralligenous sand mixed with debris, coarse medium or fine coralligenous sand (few samples). D’Addabbo Gallo et al. (1987), Grimaldi de Zio & D’Addabbo Gallo (1987), Grimaldi de Zio et al. (2003)

Record numbers (Sea/Ocean classification): Indian Ocean: 2, Ionian Sea: 2; total: 4.

Record numbers (FAO classification): FAO37: 2, FAO51: 2; total: 4.

Remarks: Lepoarctus coniferus was described from abyssal depths near the coast of Somalia, but later reported from two subtidal localities in the Ionian Sea. Such geographical/ecological distribution is possible but rather unusual. In our opinion, the presence of this species in the subtidal zone of the Ionian Sea needs confirmation.