Cothurnia, Ehrenberg, 1832

Species of Cothurnia on different basibionts of Kinorhyncha.

The literature revealed four reports of species of Cothurnia on Kinorhyncha in addition to C. buetschlii . Adrianov and Higgins (1996, fig. 23) labelled two “ectocommensal suctorians” attached ventrally to segment 1 of Pycnophyes parasanjuanensis , but these epibionts can be identifyed as a species of Cothurnia . Ostmann et al. (2012, pp. 87, 90 fig. 6) documented a species of Cothurnia from Echinoderes applicitus . The specimens in the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin revealed not too many details because of the insufficient conservation in the mounting medium Fluoromount G, but they were clearly different from C. buetschlii . Neuhaus (2013, p. 331) mentioned “sessile ciliates, possibly a species of Cothurnia , […] on Pycnophyes sp. from Florida ( Fig. 5.8.1 A, B View FIGURE 5 )”. These were based on life observations and photographs. Last not least, Cepeda et al. (2022c, fig. 4H, I) provided SEM images of Leiocanthus quinquenudus with epibionts similar to C. buetschlii with respect to the general shape of the lorica but with an asymmetrical opening. The limited amount of observations does currently not allow to draw any further-reaching conclusions about infestation of Kinorhyncha by species of Cothurnia .