Vol. 46 No. 2, 2007

The Tardigrada Fauna of China with Descriptions of Three New Species of Echiniscidae

Xiao-Chen Li*, Li-Zhi Wang, and Di Yu

College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian 710062, China

Xiao-Chen Li, Li-Zhi Wang, and Di Yu (2007) The Tardigrada fauna of China is summarized. Pseudechiniscus beasleyi sp. nov., Echiniscus nelsonae sp. nov., and E. shaanxiensis sp. nov. from the Qinling Mountains of central Shaanxi Province, China are described as new to science. Photomicrographs and drawings are provided to illustrate the morphological characters of the new species. Four new species records of the Tardigrada are also reported from the Qinling Mountains: E. ramazzotti Binda and Pilato, E. mediantus Marcus, E. tardus Mihelcic (Echiniscidae), and Diphascon rivularis (Mihelcic) (Hypsibiidae). Type specimens are deposited at the College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian. A key to Chinese species of the Tardirada is also given.

Key words: Tardigrada fauna, Taxonomy, New Species, New record, China.

*Correspondence: Tel: 86-29-85310266. Fax: 86-29-85303736. E-mail:xiaochen@snnu.edu.cn