Two new Japanese species of Gastrotricha (Chaetonotida, Chaetonotidae, Lepidodermella and Dichaeturidae, Dichaetura), with Comments on the Diversity of Gastrotrichs in Rice Paddies.

Two new species of freshwater gastrotrichs are described from rice paddies in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. Lepidodermella acantholepida n. sp. is a medium sized species attaining a length of 145 microum, scales are flattened ovals and similar to those of L. squamata except that two dorsal scales near the furca have a claw-like spine. Dichaeturafilispina n. sp. is a medium sized species attaining a length of 185 microm, characterized by a thin, fiber-like spine, a spined furca with a constriction near its base and an elongate body. A total of 44 species (seven genera) including two new species were found in the rice paddies. The diversity of rice paddy gastrotrichs is briefly discussed.