Echinoderes
Echinoderes is a genus of mud dragons first described in 1863. It is the largest genus within the phylum Kinorhyncha. It is a highly diverse genus, with member species that inhabit "most marine benthic substrates, on latitudes ranging from the Arctic to the tropics, and from the intertidal zone down to the deep sea." Species on the east coasts of North and South America have been extensively studied by Robert P. Higgins. Species in east Asia have been extensively studied by A. V. Adrianov.
Members of Echinoderes are sexually dimorphic.
Globally Echinoderes are the most diverse, abundant and commonly encountered of all kinorhynch genera. The number of described Echinoderes species has more than doubled since 2002 and it is still increasing in recent years.
Five genera, Echinoderes, Cephalorhyncha, Fissuroderes, Meristoderes, and Polacanthoderes, are currently recognized within the family Echinoderidae. The latter four genera are rather small and accommodate one to nine species only, whereas a vast majority of the diversity is contained in the Echinoderes, that holds more than 100 species.
Species
76 species are accepted within Echinoderes:Echinoderes abbreviates Higgins, 1983Echinoderes agigens Bacescu, 1968Echinoderes andamanensis Higgins & Rao, 1979Echinoderes angustus Higgins & Kristensen, 1988Echinoderes applicitus Ostmann, Nordhaus & Sørensen, 2012Echinoderes aquilonius Higgins & Kristensen, 1988Echinoderes arlis Higgins, 1966Echinoderes aspinosus Sørensen, Rho, Min, Kim & Chang, 2012Echinoderes augustae Sørensen & Landers, 2014Echinoderes aureus Adrianov, Murakami & Shirayama, 2002Echinoderes bengalensis Echinoderes bermudensis Higgins, 1982Echinoderes bispinosus Higgins, 1982Echinoderes bookhouti Higgins, 1964Echinoderes brevicaudatus Higgins, 1977Echinoderes canariensis Greeff, 1869Echinoderes cantabricus Pardos, Higgins & Benito, 1998Echinoderes capitatus Echinoderes caribiensis Kirsteuer, 1964Echinoderes cavernus Sørensen, Jörgensen & Boesgaard, 2000Echinoderes cernunnos Sørensen, Rho, Min, Kim & Chang, 2012Echinoderes citrinus Zelinka, 1928Echinoderes collinae Sørensen, 2006Echinoderes coulli Higgins, 1977Echinoderes dujardinii Claparède, 1863Echinoderes ehlersi Zelinka, 1913Echinoderes elongatus Echinoderes eximus Higgins & Kristensen, 1988Echinoderes ferrugineus Zelinka, 1928Echinoderes filispinosus Adrianov, 1989Echinoderes gerardi Higgins, 1978Echinoderes gizoensis Thormar & Sørensen, 2010Echinoderes higginsi Huys & Coomans, 1989Echinoderes hispanicus Pardos, Higgins & Benito, 1998Echinoderes horni Higgins, 1983Echinoderes imperforatus Higgins, 1983Echinoderes intermedius Sørensen, 2006Echinoderes isabelae GaOrdóñez, Pardos & Benito, 2008Echinoderes kanni Thormar & Sørensen, 2010Echinoderes koreanus Adrianov, 1999 in Adrianov & Malakhov, 1999Echinoderes kozloffi Higgins, 1977Echinoderes krishnaswamyi Higgins, 1985Echinoderes kristenseni Higgins, 1985Echinoderes lanceolatus Chang & Song, 2002Echinoderes levanderi Karling, 1955Echinoderes malakhovi Adrianov, 1999 in Adrianov & Malakhov, 1999Echinoderes maxwelli Echinoderes microaperturus Sørensen, Rho, Min, Kim & Chang, 2012Echinoderes multisetosus Adrianov, 1989Echinoderes neospinosus GaOrdóñez, Pardos & Benito, 2008Echinoderes newcaledoniensis Higgins, 1967Echinoderes obtuspinosus Sørensen, Rho, Min, Kim & Chang, 2012Echinoderes ohtsukaii Yamasaki & Kajihara, 2012Echinoderes pacificus Schmidt, 1974Echinoderes parrai GaOrdóñez, Pardos & Benito, 2008Echinoderes pennaki Higgins, 1960Echinoderes peterseni Higgins & Kristensen, 1988Echinoderes pilosus Lang, 1949Echinoderes remanei Echinoderes rex Lundbye, Rho & Sørensen, 2011Echinoderes riedli Higgins, 1966Echinoderes sensibilis Adrianov, Murakami & Shirayama, 2002Echinoderes setiger Echinoderes skipperae Sørensen & Landers, 2014Echinoderes spinifurca Sørensen, Heiner & Ziemer, 2005Echinoderes stockmani Adrianov, 1999 in Adrianov & Malakhov, 1999Echinoderes subfuscus Zelinka, 1928Echinoderes sublicarum Higgins, 1977Echinoderes svetlanae Adrianov, 1999 in Adrianov & Malakhov, 1999Echinoderes tchefouensis Lou, 1934Echinoderes teretis Brown, 1999 in Adrianov & Malakhov, 1999Echinoderes truncatus Higgins, 1983Echinoderes tubilak Higgins & Kristensen, 1988Echinoderes ulsanensis Adrianov, 1999 in Adrianov & Malakhov, 1999Echinoderes wallaceae Higgins, 1983Echinoderes worthingi Southern, 1914