A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF GASTROTRICHA FROM THE ATLANTIC COAST OF FLORIDA, USA

A sample of sand from the shallow subtidal waters of St. Augustine Inlet, Florida, U.S.A. yielded a new genus of turbanellid gastrotrich. Prostobuccantia is distinguished from its congeners by an anterior projection of the buccal capsule beyond the mouth, by the occurrence of the pharyngeal pores in a submedial position, by paired caudal lobes that bear adhesive tubes only on their posterior borders, and by two unusual adhesive tubes of unequal length that are fused at their bases and occur on either side just posterior to the pharyngeal-intestinal junction. In the adult condition, P. brocha is characterized by the serrated border of the forward-projecting buccal capsule, by an inflated trunk, and by few (4-5) adhesive tubes of equal length on each of the anterior and the posterior appendages.