Notes. Batillipes gilmartini, a New Marine Tardigrade from a California Beach

Abstract

Two SPECIES of marine tardigrades have been reported from the Pacific coast of North America. Schuster and Grigarick (1965) studied Echiniscoides sigismundi Schultze, 1865, from algae and barnacles. This species is thought to occur along much of the west coast. Styraconyx sargassi Thulin, 1942, was reported as Bathyechiniscus tetronyx Steiner, 1926, from washings of Dictyota sp. by Mathews (1938). Although marine tardigrades are often found in association with algae and a variety of animals, they are most abundant in the interstitial spaces of sandy beaches. The apparently rich interstitial fauna of the west coast has not as yet been investigated.