Musellifer profundus (Gastrotricha, chaetonotida): A morphometric study

Musellifer profundus Vivier, 1974 was described from sublittoral mud at 370 m depth in the Mediterranean Sea off Marseille. Sublittoral finds from Scotland and Poland are added to its geographical distribution. We performed a principle components analysis on measurements of 10 morphological characters from 38 specimens collected in Scotland, the characters having been clarified by means of SEM: a general size component accounted for 49% of the total variance, while a neck scale component added 14%, and a third, that related neck scales to the furca and to the level of the pharygeo-intestinal junction, but not to head or neck width, added a further 14% (total = 77%). Measurements from three Polish specimens and data from the original description were individually compared with appropriate portions of this baseline on a length-standardized basis. We conclude that all specimens might have come from the same population.