Kinorhyncha from the Caribbean, with the description of two new species from Puerto Rico and Barbados

Abstract

Two new kinorhynch species from Puerto Rico (Greater Antilles) and Barbados (Lesser Antilles) are described herein from Dr R. P. Higgins' unexamined Caribbean meiofaunal samples, which have been stored in the Smithsonian Institution collections. The species from Puerto Rico, Cristaphyes cornifrons sp. nov., belongs to the class Allomalorhagida, whereas the species from Barbados, Echinoderes barbadensis sp. nov., belongs to the class Cyclorhagida. C. cornifrons sp. nov. is easily distinguished from most of its congeners by the presence of lateral terminal spines and the absence of male, sexually dimorphic, ventromedial tubes on segment 2, as only other two species of the genus lack these features. Of these, C. cornifrons sp. nov. may be easily differentiated by its pattern of paradorsal, ventrolateral and ventromedial setae. E. barbadensis sp. nov. is unique among its congeners by the combined presence of middorsal spines on segments 4–8, lateroventral spines on segments 6–9, lateral accessory tubes on segment 8, lateroventral tubes on segment 5, ventrolateral tubes on segment 2 and type 2 glandular cell outlets in subdorsal position on segment 2 and in midlateral position on segment 4.