“Echiniscus (Echiniscus) jenningsi sp. nov. (fig. 2, phot. 1,2)
? Echiniscus (Echiniscus) sp. 2: MARCUS, 1936
Echiniscus (Echiniscus) capillatus: JENNINGS, 1976a,b
Length 130-260 μm. The body and the eyes are red. Appendages A strongly developed, usually as long as the body or a little longer (for instance 200 μm in a specimen 190 μm long). Third median plate and division of IInd twin plates are poorly marked. End plate usually distinctly faceted, with rather long incisions. Three specimens had small spins (3 μm) in the place E. Dorsum is covered with very minute granulation (0.3-0.5 μm), regularly and densely distributed and arranged in round dots. They are equal in size and occur on all plates. These dots were united by very delicate stripes developed more poorly than in E. (E.) pseudowendti sp. nov. and visible only in a phase microscope. Clearly bigger spots (pores?-diameter 1-2 μm) sparcely distributed and irregular in shape occur against a background of that granulation. They are the biggest on the end plate and distance between them is 1-4 μm (fig. 2a, phot. 1). These spots occur also on the third median plate however there are poorly developed. At the “upper” position of the microscope-tube dorsal granulation is visible in a form of round, sparcely distributed and bigger spots against a background of smaller dots, densely and regularly dispersed. At over focus, against a background on smaller, regular and bright dots there are visible bigger ones which are bright and irregular in shape, often starlike (phot. 1). Spine fringe with 9-13 small teeth (Fig. 2d). Outer claws smooth, inner ones with the spine being strongly downwards bent (fig. 2b, c). The spines on inner claws of I-IIIrd pair of legs are much more strongly bent and situated nearer the bases of the claws than those on the claws of IVth pair.
Echiniscus (E.) jenningsi sp. nov., is very simiar to Echiniscus (E.) pseudowendti sp. nov., particularly on account of the development of dorsal granulation, by both these species differ distinctly by the structure of claws, especially by the shape of spines on the inner claws. In E.(E.) pseudowendti sp. nov. the claws of all legs have a similar shape, the spines on the inner claws are located almost in the middle of the claw and, furthermore, the spines are reather weakly bent towards the base (fig. 1b, c; phot. 5, 6). On the other hand, the inner claws of I-IIIrd pairs of legs in E. (E.) jenningsi sp. nov. have a different shape than the corresponding claws of the IVth pair of legs (fig 2b, c; phot.2). Furthermore, the mentioned spines on the I-IIIrd pairs of legs are located closer to the bases of the claws, they are very strongly bent towards the bases and they almost touch the bases, slightly resembling by this fact the claws of Echiniscus (E.) jenningsi sp. nov. is considerably smaller (0.3-0.5 μm) than the corresponding granulation in E. (E.) pseudowendti (0.5-1.5 μm). Further more, in the former species the granules are roundish and almost qual in size on all plates. In E. (E.) jenningsi sp. nov. the granules are in the majority multiangular and are the biggest on the IIIrd median plate (phot. 3). An irregular granulation (“pores”), refracting (1-2 μm) than the regular granulation (0.3-0.5 μm) these “pores” are most frequently star-shaped (phot. 1), and the biggest are usually on the end plate. In E. (E.) pseudowendti sp. nov. the “pores” are equal and somewhat smaller than the regularly distributed granules, they have a roundish shape and their size is almost equal on all plates. Furthermore, E. (E.) jenningsi sp. nov. has comparatively thicker and longer A appendages and slightly more distinctly pronounced IIIrd median plate (though in both species it is very poorly developed). Both compared species differ mainly from Echiniscus (E.) capillatus RAMAZZOTTI, 1956 by the lack of spines at the base of the outer claws of the IVth pair of legs. A comparison of other features in related species is presented in Table II.
Localities: King George Island-9(24, including holotype). 11(8), 13(2), 18(1), 19(30).
Recorded as Echiniscus (E.) capillatus RAMAZ. From Signy Island by JENNINGS (1976 a).
The species is dedicated to Dr. Peter JENNINGS, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge.”
(Dastych, 1984: 382-384)
