Genus description from Kaczmarek & Roszkowska 2021: Echiniscidae with only cephalic cirri present. External and internal cirri very long.
On dorsal side head plate, scapular plate, two pairs of segmental (paired) plates (s1 and s2), three median plates (m1, m2 and m3) and terminal plate present. Pseudosegmental plate absent. Incisions (notches) on terminal plate present. On ventral side two subcephalic plates present.
Dorsal plates (except of the head plate) with “double-like” sculpture composed by two types of granulation visible in different focal planes i.e. large hemispherical protuberances visible on the surface of plates and fine inner cuticular granules present under the plate surface. Large hemispherical protuberances (1.5–6.1 μm in diameter and 15–27 protuberances per 20×20 μm2; both on scapular plate) are sparsely distributed. Sometimes distance between perturbances is larger than their diameter, but in general these distances are 1.1–7.3 μm. A very tiny inner cuticular granules are 0.4–0.8 μm in diameter (on the scapular plate) and very densely and regularly distributed. However, this tiny granulation is lacking under anterior parts of paired plates, anterior parts of median plates m1 and m2 and on entire median plate m3. These inner cuticular granules are probably tops of cuticular pillars which presence is typical for Heterotardigrada, however it needs to be confirmed based on Scanning Electron Microscopy studies. Protuberances are smaller on median plates m1 and m2, margins of scapular and terminal plates, and in anterior parts of paired plates. In general, perturbances distributed more sparsely on median plates m1 and m2, and in anterior parts of paired plates. On the head plate only small (0.4–0.7 μm in diameter) polygonal granules are present very densely distributed (granules are almost in contact to each other). On ventral side fine very dense and regular granulation present.
External claws smooth, internal with spurs directed downwards. Spine on the leg I and papillae on the leg IV present. Dentate collar with fine granulation present on the leg IV. On legs I–III three stripes of granulation are present: a thin frontal stripe on the upper part of the leg, a wide stripe in the central part of the leg covering frontal and lateral side of the leg and the most distal, thin stripe above claws on the ventral side of the leg.”
Citations:
Kaczmarek, Ł. & Roszkowska, M. (2021) Zealandiscus gen. nov., a new genus erected in the family Echiniscidae Thulin, 1928 (Heterotardigrada). Annales Zoologici (Warszawa), 71(3), 651–659.
