Lepidodermella minor
125 µm
Width:
Width of the head ( five-lobed ):
µm
Length of the furca:
16 µm
Adhessive tubes:
60% of furca
Pharyx ( cylindrical ):
24 µm
Diameter of the mouth ( around ):
6 µm
Dorsal scales:
24 rows of 38 very small keel- and spine-less scales (1.2 x 2 µm), overlapping to the til.
Ventral scales:
Ventral intermediate field with 6 rows of 1.5 µm long keel scales and two oval keeled terminal plates (10µm).
Oecology:
Moor
Particularities:
rare species, original description insufficient
Fundorte:
The rare and very small belly-hardy L. minor was already presented by me in the forum: https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/index.php?topic=38615.0 .
One of the animals found had reached its postpathenogenetic (hermaphrodite) phase and was already carrying an X organ and sperm bundle:
L. minor chaetifer: above dorsally with smooth scales typical of Lepidodermella;
middle in cross section with X-organ and sperm bundle;
below ventral scaling with distinct terminal plates (©️ Ole Riemann).
In Sima Marsh the somewhat divergent subspecies Lepidodermella minor chaetifer was found, differing from the species L. minor minor by a pair of spines at the base of the toes:
L. minor chaetifer: the pair of spines at the base of the toes is characteristic of the subspecies chaetifer
Another striking feature of this species is the single tooth projecting asymmetrically from the oral cavity:
L. minor chaetifer: Tooth