Echiniscidae
terrestrial species (found also in freshwater){Seminal receptacles absent. Dorsal plates present. Adult with 4 claws on each leg.}(Kristensen 1987) (Degma P, Guidetti R. 2018. Tardigrade Taxa. In: Water Bears: The biology of tardigrades. Schill RO, Editor. Switzerland: Springer Nature. p. 371-409. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-95702-9_15.)
Hypechiniscus
From Thulin 1928: “Echiniscidae with armor containing five median plates. End plate adjacent to the last median plate. Terminal notches present. Echiniscus gladiator MURRAY var. exarmatus MURR leads to this genus. The exarmatus form (from the Faroe Islands) that I have examined differs in some aspects from MURRAYS description: The animals are colorless with black […]
Echiniscus
From Schultze 1840: “The body ovate-elongated, with armor plates, in nine distinct segments, eight feet affixed to alternate segments from the third to the ninth. The head with four thorn-like antennae, eyes simple and two.” Untranslated: “Corpus ovato-elongatum, scutatum, spinosum, in novem segmenta distinctum, pedes octo alternis segmentis a tertio ad nonum affixi. Caput antennis […]
Diploechiniscus
From Vicente et al. 2013: “Echiniscids with dorsal plates I, II, III, IV (II and III paired), transversally subdivided median plates m1 and m2 and undivided plate m3 present; double sculpture in the dorsal plates, represented (under phase contrast) by dark polygonal and white circular grains; ventral plates present, especially evident in the anterior, head […]
Pseudechiniscus
From Ramazzotti & Maucci: “After the second paired plate, or after the third median plate if present, follows a pseudosegmental plate, paired or unpaired, and then the terminal plate; buccal cirri present; cirri A of filament shape.” From Kristensen 1987: “Echiniscidae with black eyes: rigid buccal canal, stylet supports may be present, but very tiny […]
Novechiniscus
From Kristensen 1987: “Echiniscidae with flexible buccal tube, pharyngeal bulb with a drop- shaped structure located on the placoids. Eyes possibly black, but nearly disappeared during the preparation. All four segmental plates I-IV unpaired with two bar-shaped median plates 1 and a distinct bar-shaped median plate 2; primary and secondary clavae with ring shaped annulus […]
Proechiniscus
From Kristensen 1987: “Echiniscidae with black eyes, flexible buccal canal, presence of calcified stylet supports. Segmental plates II and III paired with unpaired posterior element; median plates 1, 2 and 3 and the unpaired pseudosegmental plate IV’ bar- shaped; with dome-shaped secondary clavae. Colour reddish brown. Description: Proechinicus has unique dorsal plates. A series of 12 strongly […]
Antechiniscus
Antechiniscus, from Kristensen 1987: Echiniscidae with black eyes, unflexible buccal tube. Unpaired pseudosegmental plates (II’ and III’) present posterior to paired segmental plates II and III. Anterior to the caudal plate (IV) is a small bar-shaped pseudosegmental plate (IV’) which is slightly overlapped by a large undivided median plate (m 3). colour grey to light […]
Parechiniscus
From Ramazzotti & Maucci: “The plates are not well defined in the rostral part of the dorsum, better defined in the caudal part.” From Kristensen 1987: “Echiniscidae with small black eyes, rigid buccal tube, stylet supports absent, 8-9 dorsal plates, unpaired and more or less indistinct; secondary clavae dome shaped; uncoloured to grey. Emended description: […]
Mopsechiniscus
From Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983: “The plates are as in Pseudechiniscus; the internal and external buccal cirri are absent.” From Kristensen 1987: “Red Echiniscidae with black eyes, flexible buccal tube, stylet supports without CaCO3; ventral plates absent. Strongly sculptured dorsal plates. Paired pseudosegmental plates IV; all median plates undivided. A small rectangular plate with a […]