The Timing of Egg-laying in Macrobiotid Species (Tardigrada) on the Island of Newfoundland

Abstract

Previous sampling of lichens and mosses on the island of Newfoundland has not located any macrobiotid (family Macrobiotidae) eggs, which are often crucial to the positive identification of adults of this family, particularly Macrobiotus and Minibiotus species. Because recent studies have established that egg-laying in macrobiotid species in the more northerly Labrador part of the province occurs in late summer and early fall, it was hypothesized that egg-laying on the more southerly island of Newfoundland would take place later in the year. In this study, conducted on the Burin Peninsula from September to December 2005, moss samples were taken every 2 weeks and macrobiotid adults and eggs were extracted. The eggs of 3 species of Macrobiotus and 1 species of Minibiotus were recovered later in the fall after the first frost.