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Li, Xiaochen, Wang, Lizhi, Liu, Ying, Su, Lina (2005): A new species and five new records of the family Echiniscidae (Tardigrada) from China. Zootaxa 1093 (1): 25-33, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1093.1.2, URL: https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1093.1.2

Pseudechiniscus papillosus sp. nov. (Fig. 3A–E, Table 1) Material examined: Holotype (Slide number MTB05080762), two paratypes (Slide number MTB05080761, MTB05080763) were collected from Mount Taibai at an altitude of 3,760 m a.s.l. (33°57.32’ N, 107°45.94’ E). The specimens are deposited at the College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, P. R. China. Diagnosis: Colour red. Cephalic appendages include internal buccal cirrus, very short and wide cephalic papilla, external buccal cirrus, cirrus A, and clava. Armor consists of single cephalic plate, scapular plate, first single median plate, first paired­plates, second single median plate, second paired­plates, third single median plate, pseudosegmental plate with two lobes on the posterior edge, and terminal plate with usual two notches; scapular plate divided transversely into an anterior part and a posterior part. All plates decorated with papilla­like projections; papilla­like projections absent on ventral side; lateral side near the base of legs also decorated with papilla­like projections, but much smaller than the ones on dorsal plates. Papilla present near the base of the fourth pair of legs. Spurs absent on all claws of each leg. Description of the holotype: Colour red. Eyespots not detected. Cephalic appendages include internal buccal cirrus, cephalic papilla very short and wide, external buccal cirrus, cirrus A, and clava. No other appendages present (Fig. 3A–B). Dorsal plates covered with papilla­like, uniformly distributed projections varying in size, diameter of 2.0– 2.6 m, height of 3.8–4.8 m (Fig. 3C). Cephalic plate faceted; armor consists of single cephalic plate, scapular plate, first single median plate, first paired­plates, second single median plate, second paired­plates, third single median plate (all median plates undivided), pseudosegmental plate subdivided along the mid­sagittal plane of the body, the pseudosegmental plate with two lobes on the posterior edge, the lobes triangle­shaped with one point directed backward, and terminal plate with the two usual notches; scapular plate transversely divided into an anterior part and posterior part; all plates decorated with many papilla­like projections varying in size (Fig. 3C), absent on ventral side. Legs normal length, a papilla (length 4.7 m) present on the external side of the fourth pair of legs near their bases. Lateral side near the base of legs covered with many papillalike projections much smaller than the ones on the dorsal plates. Claws normally curved distally, without spurs near the bases of the claws on each leg (Fig. 3D–E). Eggs unknown. Remarks: The paratypes are similar to the holotype as regards the qualitative characters. Etymology: This species is named after the papilla­like sculpture of the cuticle. Differential diagnosis: Kristensen (1987) distinguishes two groups in the genus Pseudechiniscus: the suillus or conifer group without cirri B–E, and the victor group with cirri or spines B–E. Pseudechiniscus papillosus sp. nov. belongs to the suillus / conifer group and differs from all known species of the genus Pseudechiniscus by the papilla­like projections on both dorsal plates and legs. Compared with other species of the suillus /conifer group, Pseudechiniscus papillosus sp. nov. is similar to P. spinerectus Pilato et al., 2001 in having divided scapular plate, but it differs from it in lacking ventral sculpture, in having different cuticular sculpture, in having undivided median plates, in having lobes instead of spines on the posterior edge of pseudosegmental plate, and in having no spurs on the fourth claws. This new species differs from Pseudechiniscus rammazzottii Maucci, 1952 in having different cuticular sculpture, in having undivided median plates and transversely divided scapular plate. This new species differs from P. asper Abe et al., 1998 in having different cuticular sculpture and in lacking segmental lateral plates on scapular plate and paired­plates., Published as part of Li, Xiaochen, Wang, Lizhi, Liu, Ying & Su, Lina, 2005, A new species and five new records of the family Echiniscidae (Tardigrada) from China, pp. 25-33 in Zootaxa 1093 (1) on pages 30-32, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1093.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5051248, {"references":["Kristensen, R. M. (1987) Generic revision of the Echiniscidae (Heterotardigrada), with a discussion of the origin of the family. In: Bertolani, R. (ed.) Biology of Tardigrades. Selected Symposia and Monographs U. Z. I., 1, 261 - 335.","Pilato, G., Binda, M. G. & Moncada, E. (2001) Notes on South American tardigrades with the description of two new species: Pseudechiniscus spinerectus and Macrobiotus danielae. Tropical Zoology, 14, 223 - 231.","Maucci, W. (1952) Un nuova Pseudechiniscus del Carso Triestino (Tardigrada, Scutechiniscidae). Atti della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturale e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Milano, 91, 127 - 130.","Abe, W., Utsugi, K. & Takeda, M. (1998) Pseudechiniscus asper, a new Tardigrada (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscidae) from Hokkaido, northern Japan. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 111 (4), 843 - 848."]}

Pseudechiniscus asper Abe, Utsugi & Takeda, 1998 (Fig. 2C) Material examined: Four specimens were collected from Mount Taibai. Description: Small in size. Dorsal plates decorated with granulation. Scapular plate and segmental paired­plates I and II each with segmental lateral plates. Two transversely expanded lobes present on the posterior edge of pseudosegmental plate. Spurs present on the middle two claws. Remarks: The specimens from Mount Taibai differ from the holotype of this species from Japan by the shape of the lobes on pseudosegmental plate. The paired­lobes on pseudosegmental plate in our specimens are remarkably expanded transversely, and the posterior edges of the lobes are quite smooth without any pointed structure. However, the lobes on the pseudosegmental plate in the specimens from Japan are roundly triangular, tipped with papillate projection. The type locality of this species is Hokkaido, Japan (Abe et al., 1998). Mount Taibai is the second locality of this species since it was described., Published as part of Li, Xiaochen, Wang, Lizhi, Liu, Ying & Su, Lina, 2005, A new species and five new records of the family Echiniscidae (Tardigrada) from China, pp. 25-33 in Zootaxa 1093 (1) on page 28, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1093.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5051248, {"references":["Abe, W., Utsugi, K. & Takeda, M. (1998) Pseudechiniscus asper, a new Tardigrada (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscidae) from Hokkaido, northern Japan. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 111 (4), 843 - 848."]}

Pseudechiniscus papillosus sp. nov. (Fig. 3A–E, Table 1) Material examined: Holotype (Slide number MTB05080762), two paratypes (Slide number MTB05080761, MTB05080763) were collected from Mount Taibai at an altitude of 3,760 m a.s.l. (33°57.32’ N, 107°45.94’ E). The specimens are deposited at the College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, P. R. China. Diagnosis: Colour red. Cephalic appendages include internal buccal cirrus, very short and wide cephalic papilla, external buccal cirrus, cirrus A, and clava. Armor consists of single cephalic plate, scapular plate, first single median plate, first paired­plates, second single median plate, second paired­plates, third single median plate, pseudosegmental plate with two lobes on the posterior edge, and terminal plate with usual two notches; scapular plate divided transversely into an anterior part and a posterior part. All plates decorated with papilla­like projections; papilla­like projections absent on ventral side; lateral side near the base of legs also decorated with papilla­like projections, but much smaller than the ones on dorsal plates. Papilla present near the base of the fourth pair of legs. Spurs absent on all claws of each leg. Description of the holotype: Colour red. Eyespots not detected. Cephalic appendages include internal buccal cirrus, cephalic papilla very short and wide, external buccal cirrus, cirrus A, and clava. No other appendages present (Fig. 3A–B). Dorsal plates covered with papilla­like, uniformly distributed projections varying in size, diameter of 2.0– 2.6 m, height of 3.8–4.8 m (Fig. 3C). Cephalic plate faceted; armor consists of single cephalic plate, scapular plate, first single median plate, first paired­plates, second single median plate, second paired­plates, third single median plate (all median plates undivided), pseudosegmental plate subdivided along the mid­sagittal plane of the body, the pseudosegmental plate with two lobes on the posterior edge, the lobes triangle­shaped with one point directed backward, and terminal plate with the two usual notches; scapular plate transversely divided into an anterior part and posterior part; all plates decorated with many papilla­like projections varying in size (Fig. 3C), absent on ventral side. Legs normal length, a papilla (length 4.7 m) present on the external side of the fourth pair of legs near their bases. Lateral side near the base of legs covered with many papillalike projections much smaller than the ones on the dorsal plates. Claws normally curved distally, without spurs near the bases of the claws on each leg (Fig. 3D–E). Eggs unknown. Remarks: The paratypes are similar to the holotype as regards the qualitative characters. Etymology: This species is named after the papilla­like sculpture of the cuticle. Differential diagnosis: Kristensen (1987) distinguishes two groups in the genus Pseudechiniscus: the suillus or conifer group without cirri B–E, and the victor group with cirri or spines B–E. Pseudechiniscus papillosus sp. nov. belongs to the suillus / conifer group and differs from all known species of the genus Pseudechiniscus by the papilla­like projections on both dorsal plates and legs. Compared with other species of the suillus /conifer group, Pseudechiniscus papillosus sp. nov. is similar to P. spinerectus Pilato et al., 2001 in having divided scapular plate, but it differs from it in lacking ventral sculpture, in having different cuticular sculpture, in having undivided median plates, in having lobes instead of spines on the posterior edge of pseudosegmental plate, and in having no spurs on the fourth claws. This new species differs from Pseudechiniscus rammazzottii Maucci, 1952 in having different cuticular sculpture, in having undivided median plates and transversely divided scapular plate. This new species differs from P. asper Abe et al., 1998 in having different cuticular sculpture and in lacking segmental lateral plates on scapular plate and paired­plates.

Echiniscus melanophthalmus Bartoš, 1936 (Fig. 1B) Material examined: Six specimens were collected from Mount Taibai. Description: Colour reddish­brown, eyespots present. Sculpture consists of closely spaced polygonal depressions. Median plate III absent; cephalic plate facetted and terminal plate with the two usual notches. Cirrus A, B, C and D, filaments C d and D d present; teeth C near cirrus C and teeth D near cirrus D present. Spurs present on the middle two claws on leg IV. Remarks: This species was observed in the Carpathians, in Romania and Istria (Ramazzotti & Maucci, 1983). It has never been reported from China before., Published as part of Li, Xiaochen, Wang, Lizhi, Liu, Ying & Su, Lina, 2005, A new species and five new records of the family Echiniscidae (Tardigrada) from China, pp. 25-33 in Zootaxa 1093 (1) on page 26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1093.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5051248, {"references":["Bartos, E. (1936) Neue Tardigraden-Arten aus dem unterkarpatischen Russland. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 114, 45 - 48.","Ramazzotti, G. & Maucci, W. (1983) Il Phylum Tardigrada. Memorie dell'Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, Pallanza, 41, 408 - 409."]}

Echinsicus trisetosus Cuénot, 1932 (Fig. 2B) Material examined: Five specimens were collected from Mount Taibai at 3,740 m a.s.l.. Description: Eyespots present. Cuticular sculpture similar to E. melanophthalmus. The paired­plates I and II often show a smooth transverse band, lacking sculpture; median plate III present with sculpture scarce. Cephalic appendages normal; lateral appendages include cirrus C and D, dorsolateral appendages include filament C d and spine D d. Dentate collar and papilla present on leg IV. Remarks: Our specimens differ from specimens from other localities by much longer D d. This species is cited for many localities in Europe, North America, and Turkey (Ramazzotti & Maucci, 1983), however it has never been reported from China before., Published as part of Li, Xiaochen, Wang, Lizhi, Liu, Ying & Su, Lina, 2005, A new species and five new records of the family Echiniscidae (Tardigrada) from China, pp. 25-33 in Zootaxa 1093 (1) on page 28, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1093.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5051248, {"references":["Cuenot, L. (1932) Tardigrades. In: Paul Lechevalier (Ed.), Faune de France, Paris, 24, 1 - 96.","Ramazzotti, G. & Maucci, W. (1983) Il Phylum Tardigrada. Memorie dell'Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, Pallanza, 41, 408 - 409."]}

Echiniscus cheonyoungi Moon & Kim, 1994 (Fig. 1A) Material examined: Twenty specimens were collected from Mount Taibai at 3,760 m a.s.l.. Description: Body light yellow. Cuticular sculpture consists of minute, closely spaced polygons and irregular pores. Armor consists of cephalic plate, scapular plate, pairedplates I and II, undivided median I and III, divided median plate II, terminal plate with usual notches. Cephalic appendages include internal cirrus, external cirrus and cephalic papilla; lateral appendages include cirrus A, B, C, D and E; dorsal appendages include C d and D d. Papilla and dentate collar present on leg IV. Spurs absent on claws. Remarks: The type locality of this species is in South Korea. Mount Taibai is the second locality of this species since it was described (Moon & Kim, 1994). This species has never been reported from China., Published as part of Li, Xiaochen, Wang, Lizhi, Liu, Ying & Su, Lina, 2005, A new species and five new records of the family Echiniscidae (Tardigrada) from China, pp. 25-33 in Zootaxa 1093 (1) on page 26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1093.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5051248, {"references":["Moon, S. Y. & Kim, W. (1994) New species of Echiniscus (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscoidea: Echiniscidae) from Korea. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 107 (3), 511 - 513."]}

Pseudechiniscus asper Abe, Utsugi & Takeda, 1998 (Fig. 2C) Material examined: Four specimens were collected from Mount Taibai. Description: Small in size. Dorsal plates decorated with granulation. Scapular plate and segmental paired­plates I and II each with segmental lateral plates. Two transversely expanded lobes present on the posterior edge of pseudosegmental plate. Spurs present on the middle two claws. Remarks: The specimens from Mount Taibai differ from the holotype of this species from Japan by the shape of the lobes on pseudosegmental plate. The paired­lobes on pseudosegmental plate in our specimens are remarkably expanded transversely, and the posterior edges of the lobes are quite smooth without any pointed structure. However, the lobes on the pseudosegmental plate in the specimens from Japan are roundly triangular, tipped with papillate projection. The type locality of this species is Hokkaido, Japan (Abe et al., 1998). Mount Taibai is the second locality of this species since it was described.

Echiniscus nepalensis Dastych, 1975 (Fig. 2A) Material examined: Six specimens were collected from Mount Taibai at 3,720 m a.s.l. Description: Eyespots present. Cuticular sculpture consists of many small polygonal depressions distributed irregularly, varying in size. Median plate III absent. Remarks: Our specimens are different from the specimens from the Himalayas by the second median plate transversely divided into a smooth anterior part and a posterior part decorated with the usual sculpture. The type locality of this species is the Himalayas, Nepal (Dastych, 1975). It was also collected in some localities of New Zealand (Ramazzotti & Maucci, 1983). It has never been reported from China before., Published as part of Li, Xiaochen, Wang, Lizhi, Liu, Ying & Su, Lina, 2005, A new species and five new records of the family Echiniscidae (Tardigrada) from China, pp. 25-33 in Zootaxa 1093 (1) on page 28, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1093.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5051248, {"references":["Dastych, H. (1975) Some Tardigrada from the Himalayas (Nepal), with a description of Echiniscus (E.) nepalensis n. sp. Memorie dell'Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, Pallanza, 32 (Suppl.), 61 - 68.","Ramazzotti, G. & Maucci, W. (1983) Il Phylum Tardigrada. Memorie dell'Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, Pallanza, 41, 408 - 409."]}