New water bear records (Phylum Tardigrada) from the Pacific Northwest of North America

Abstract

The terrestrial tardigrade fauna of Vancouver Island has been surveyed extensively, but very little has been published about tardigrades from mainland British Columbia, Canada. Mixed moss and lichen samples collected from Whistler Mountain, mainland British Columbia contained ten species of terrestrial tardigrade: Echiniscus horningi, E. mauccii, Milnesium cf. tardigradum, Ramazzottius sp., Diphascon (Diphascon) alpinum, D. (D.) nodulosum, Macrobiotus cf. harmsworthi, Macrobiotus hufelandi, Macrobiotus montanus, and Minibiotus jonesorum. Six of these species have previously been reported from Vancouver Island, British Columbia or from the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Macrobiotus montanus has not hitherto been found in British Columbia; Minibiotus jonesorum is new to the fauna of Canada. Detailed morphometric data are provided for E. horningi. Seven species—E. mauccii, E. quadrispinosus, E. wendti, Milnesium cf. tardigradum, D. (D.) recamieri, R. baumanni, and Macrobiotus islandicus—were found in cryptogams collected in Oregon, USA. Echiniscus mauccii, E. wendti, D. (D.) recamieri, and Ramazzottius baumanni are new records for Oregon.