title: A new species of Cephalodasys (Gastrotricha, Macrodasyida) from the Caribbean Sea with a determination key to species of the genus.
abstract: A new marine gastrotrich species of the genus Cephalodasys is described from shallow sublittoral coralline sand sampled between Lee Stocking Island and Norman's Pond Cay (Exuma Cays), Bahamas. Cephalodasys interinsularis n. sp. reaches a body length of 471 µm and is characterized by a new combination of characters including six total anterior adhesive tubes and five pairs of ventrolateral adhesive tubes. The new species is morphologically similar to C. swedmarki but can be distinguished by the different number of anterior adhesive tubes, the spatial arrangement of the ventrolateral adhesive tubes, and a shorter pharynx. We provide an updated diagnosis of the genus and a determination key to all known species of Cephalodasys. C. interinsularis n. sp. is the third known species of Cephalodasys from the Caribbean marine province.
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Zentrum für marine Biodiversitätsforschung, Senckenberg am Meer, Südstrand 44, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany; Email: akieneke@senckenberg.de.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kieneke
authors.affiliation: Centrum für Naturkunde, Zoologisches Museum, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Rhaesa
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Avenue, Lowell MA 01854, United States of America; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hochberg
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D017691:Caribbean Region; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000145:classification* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013045:Species Specificity