A new species of Acanthodasys (Gastrotricha: Thaumastodermatidae) from the west coast of Norway

Abstract

During a qualitative survey of the Norwegian marine meiofauna, an undescribed macrodasyidan gastrotrich species of the genus Acanthodasys was recovered from coarse calcareous sediments in Korsfjorden outside Bergen. The main morphological traits of Acanthodasys fibrosus sp. nov. include: (1) the presence of uniancres of different sizes, (2) the absence of spineless scales, and (3) a particularly prominent layer of cuticular fibres. The systematic position of the new species is discussed, and a taxonomic key to the species of Acanthodasys is included.