Please login first
Integrative Descriptions of Three New Tardigrade Species along with the New Record of Mesobiotus skorackii Kaczmarek et al., 2018 from Canada
* 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 1
1  Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
2  Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland; Department of Bioenergetics, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61
3  Department of Genetics and Biosystematics, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; Department of Marine Plankton Research, Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdańsk, Marszałka Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378 Gdynia
4  Institute of Plant Protection – National Research Institute, Władysława Węgorka 20, 60-318 Poznań, Poland

Abstract:

We describe three new tardigrade species from Canada, i.e., one representing Paramacrobiotus richtersi complex, the other Macrobiotus hufelandi complex and one belonging to the genus Bryodelphax. Integrative analysis is made based on morphological and morphometrical data (using both light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) combined with multilocus molecular data (nuclear sequences, i.e., 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and ITS-2 as well as mitochondrial COI barcode sequences). Paramacrobiotus sp. nov. differs from most species of the genus by a different type of the oral cavity armature, details of egg morphology (number of areoles around egg processes and shape of egg processes) and some morphometric characters of adults (presence or absence of eyes, presence or absence of granulation on legs, dentate lunules under claws IV). Based on COI molecular data, Macrobiotus sp. nov. is most similar to Mac. canaricus Stec, Krzywański & Michalczyk, 2018 (p-distance 17%). Bryodelphax sp. nov. is most similar to Bry. parvulus Thulin, 1928 (p-distance 16%). Moreover, both species differs also from their congeners in some morphological and morphometrical characters of adults and/or details of eggs. Additionally, a large population of Mesobiotus skorackii Kaczmarek, Zawierucha, Buda, Stec, Gawlak, Michalczyk & Roszkowska, 2018 was found in Canada and this is the first report of this species outside terra typica in Kirghizia. The original description of this species was based solely on the morphology. Here we provide an updated description of the species by means of integrative taxonomy.

Keywords: DNA barcoding; Eutardigrada; Heterotardigrada; Tardigrada; Taxonomy; Water bears
Top