Abstract
From a moss sample collected in the Manabí Province in Ecuador, we extracted 96 specimens of a new species of eutardigrade. No eggs were found. In order to obtain eggs, an in vitro culture was prepared. In total, 136 specimens (including ten simplex), one exuvia and 44 eggs (including two with embryos) of the new species were obtained. In addition to the traditional taxonomic description with morphometrics, light and scanning microscopy imaging, we also provide nucleotide sequences of three nuclear (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS-2) and one mitochondrial (COI) DNA fragments of the new species. Macrobiotus polypiformis sp. nov. belongs to the hufelandi group and is most similar to Ma. paulinae Stec, Smolak, Kaczmarek & Michalczyk, 2015, but differs from it mainly by the lack of dorso-lateral patches of granulation on the cuticle, egg processes with longer and more numerous filaments and in some morphometric characters of both eggs and adults. Moreover, we provide a short discussion on the modifications/abnormalities of the claws in eutardigrades and the possible consequences on the taxonomic status of Mesobiotus armatus (Pilato & Binda, 1996), suggesting its consideration as species inquirenda (with uncertain taxonomic status).
Highlights
Ecuador, located in the north-western part of South America, is divided into three main regions: the western coastal lowlands, the Andean mountain range and the eastern Amazon Basin (St Louis et al 2009)
The climate there is determined by the Humboldt Current and the weather phenomenon El Niño, and oscillates from subtropical and dry on the coast to wet and extremely humid further inland
In this paper we describe a new species of the hufelandi group, Macrobiotus polypiformis sp. nov., collected from the Ecuadorian Pacific coast, in Manabí Province
Summary
Ecuador, located in the north-western part of South America, is divided into three main regions: the western coastal lowlands, the Andean mountain range and the eastern Amazon Basin (the Oriente) (St Louis et al 2009). Ecuador owns the Galápagos Islands, situated about 1,000 km west of the mainland. Manabí is one of the Ecuadorian provinces located in the coastal region. It is the largest province on the coast and the fifth in the country. The climate there is determined by the Humboldt Current and the weather phenomenon El Niño, and oscillates from subtropical and dry on the coast to wet and extremely humid further inland. The Phylum Tardigrada consists of over 1,200 species (Guidetti & Bertolani 2005; Degma & Guidetti 2007; Degma et al 2009–2016; Vicente & Bertolani 2013), inhabiting terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments throughout the world (Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983; McInnes 1994; Nelson et al 2015)
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