Redescription of Echinoderes filispinosus Adrianov, 1989 - the Brackish Water Mud Dragon (Kinorhyncha) from the Extreme Environment in the Sea of Japan, with Discussion of Transoceanic Distribution Estuarine Species
Kinorhynchs are free-living segmented meiobenthic worms up to 1,2 mm in length. They inhabit the upper few centimeters of various marine and estuarine sediments from the littoral zone to the hadal depth up to 9538 m. Today, the number of kinorhynch species has exceeded 350 already. A brackish water mud dragon species Echinoderes filispinosus is redescribed from its type locality in the Sea of Japan due to the newly found morphological characters. A tiny middorsal spine on segment 4 forces us to emend the classification of Echinoderes ohtsukai as a junior synonym of E. filispinosus. DNA sequence also supports that E. ohtsukai is completely conspecific with E. filispinosus. This estuarine species with transoceanic distribution demonstrates an outstanding ability to survive under the record seasonal variations of temperature and salinity.
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