Two new Bryodelphax Thulin, ۱۹۲۸ species (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscidae) from the Republic of Ireland with comments on the ‘weglarskae group’ and other heterotardigrade taxa, including the controversial genus Bryochoerus Marcus,۱۹۳۶

Two new heterotardigrade (Tardigrada) species, Bryodelphax pucapetricolus sp. nov. and Bryodelphax wallacearthuri sp. nov., are described from moss associated with limestone pavement in the Republic of Ireland. The species description process for these two taxa initiated a more detailed exploration of several morphological characters of importance in Bryodelphax Thulin including cuticular sculpture elements and ventral plate morphology. Division of the third dorsal median plate in the context of the genera Bryochoerus Marcus and Bryodelphax is further discussed. We recommend minor emendations to the generic diagnoses of Bryochoerus and Bryodelphax. Also, we emend the species diagnoses of Bryodelphax aaseae Kristensen, Michalczyk and Kaczmarek and Bryodelphax parvuspolaris Kaczmarek, Zawierucha, Smykla and Michalczyk, record the genus Parechiniscus Cuénot from the Republic of Ireland for the first time, and make suggestions relevant to the taxonomy of limnoterrestrial heterotardigrades.

Keywords:

Biodiversity , the Burren , scanning electron microscopy , Heterotardigrada , Echiniscidae , new species