Kinorhyncha Identification Key
Update info.
2023/Feb./17 All the information published before 2022 uploaded.
2022/Feb./02 The link to the database in the starter (Echinoderidae.ink) has been changed. Please re-download the starter and use the new one.
2021/Jun./21 All the information published before 2020 + Grzelak et al. (2021) in Frontiers in Marine Science added.
About the key
An interactive identification key to kinorhynch taxa was firstly created for the family Echinoderidae by the Dr Hiroshi Yamasaki (Kyushu University; previously in Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity), Dr Maria Herranz (Natural History Museum of Denmark) & Dr Martin V. Sørensen (Natural History Museum of Denmark) with a support of SYNTHESIS project.
The second key for the kinorhynch taxa except for Echinoderidae and Pycnophyidae is under preparation now.
We hope this tool will be used broadly by kinorhynch taxonomists, meiofauna systematicians and ecologists.
The key can be used under the Intkey program of the DELTA (DEscription Language for TAxonomy) package.
Please see also the paper "Yamasaki H, Herranz M & Sørensen MV (2020) An interactive identification key to species of Echinoderidae (Kinorhyncha). Zoologischer Anzeiger 287: 14-16" (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2020.05.002 ), and cite them in your manuscript when you use the key during your study.
How to use
Prior to using the interactive key, users should download and install the Intkey program in your computer.
The original program supports only Windows users, and is available at http://delta-intkey.com/www/programs.htm.
The newer version of the program "open-DELTA" supports Windows, Mac OS, and Linux users, and can be downloaded from http://downloads.ala.org.au/p/Open%20DELTA.
An interactive key of Echinoderidae