ИСТИНА

Marine arthrotardigrades have been found for the first time on the Vietnam beach. Locality - intertidal zone with restoring mangroves Rhizophora stylosa in the Dam Bay, Tre Island, Nha Trang Bay, Central Vietnam. Florarctus sp. is probably a new species close to F. hulingsi in all structural details except the claws without spurs. Halechiniscus jejuensis has been found for the second time after first record at the southernmost point of the Korean Peninsula; finding in the Central Vietnam extends considerably the geographic range of the species southwards to the tropical zone. Vietnamese specimens slightly differ from the Korean specimens in size of the lateral body expansions. Batillipes sp. is probably also a new species related to B. pennaki and B. gilmartini but differs by another shape of toe suckers as well as other shape and number o0f lateral body projections. Both Florarctus sp. and Halechiniscus jejuensis but not Batillipes sp. in some samples bear filiform colonial prokaryotes on ventral side of the head. Keywords: Tardigrada, Batillipes, Florarctus, Halechiniscus, Vietnam, mangrove biota.