Notes on tardigrades of the Seychelles with the description of three new species

Abstract

Three new species are described for the Seychelles: Calcarobio‐tus (Discrepunguis) tetrannulatus sp.n., Macrobiotus gerlachae sp.n. and M. pseudonuragicus sp.n. Calcarobiotus (Discrepunguis) tetrannulatus sp.n. differs from all of the known species of the subgenus by having a smooth cuticle with fine dots, by lacking eyes, by having one lateral and one medial spur on the bases of the claws on the first three pairs of legs, and by having a crown of teeth lying in a single row (and not a band) in the caudal portion of the buccal cavity. Macrobiotus gerlachae sp.n. belongs to the richtersi group and M. pseudonuragicus to the harmsworthi group; each one differs from the other species of the respective group in some characters of the eggs and in other characters (e.g. the absence of eyes, the presence of cuticular dots, and details of the bucco‐pharyngeal apparatus and of the claw shape). The list of the species of terrestrial tardigrades of the Seychelles and some considerations on the tardigradological fauna of this archipelago are provided.