'' Pliciloricus enigmaticus'' is a marine Loriciferan species of genus ''
Pliciloricus'' first described by Higgins &
Kristensen 1986.
Description
''Pliciloricus enigmaticus'' is a marine species in which adults measure between 160–268 μm of length (excluding any cone mouth).
[
The body is dual compound, located in the second row spinoscalids in position medioventral and lies fused in the middle of its length basal. It usually is very modified, strongly sclerotised, and rigid. The 15 spinoscalids have claws in the third row. Spinoscalids with 4–7 teeth that alternate with spinoscalids that are not modified.
The Lorica features 7 ridges cuticular transverse and longitudinal ridges doubles, 2 plates lateroventral of the caudal region. The anus is terminal.][
]
Distribution
The species name ''Pliciloricus enigmaticus'' has so far only been used for animals found in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
: Two finds off the eastern shore of North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
(see map, right).
See also
* family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Pliciloricidae
* phylum
In biology, a phylum (; : phyla) is a level of classification, or taxonomic rank, that is below Kingdom (biology), kingdom and above Class (biology), class. Traditionally, in botany the term division (taxonomy), division has been used instead ...
Loricifera
Loricifera (from Latin, ''wikt:lorica, lorica'', corselet (armour) + ''ferre'', to bear) is a phylum of very small to microscopic marine cycloneuralian sediment-dwelling animals with 43 described species and approximately 100 more that hav ...
References
External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q2389399
Loricifera
Animals described in 1986