Three new species of eutardigrades from the Seychelles

Abstract

Three new species of tardigrades are described from the Seychelles: Macrobiotus pseu‐docoronatus, Macrobiotus danielisae, and Hypsibius seychellensis. Macrobiotus pseudocoronatus sp. n. belongs to the Macrobiotus harmsworthi group but it can be distinguished by the presence of very small cuticular tubercles. It also differs from some other species in the group by having eye spots, or by characters of the claws, or by details of the bucco‐pharyngeal apparatus, or by some characters of the eggs. Macrobiotus danielisae sp. n. belongs to the Macrobiotus richtersi group. It differs from the other species in the group by the characteristics of the cuticular sculpture and, from some of them, or by lacking eye spots, or by characters of the claws, or by details of the bucco‐pharyngeal apparatus, or by some characters of the eggs. Hypsibius seychellensis sp. n. differs from Hypsibius dujardini (Doyère, 1840) by having a slightly narrower buccal tube of more uniform width (in H. dujardini the posterior portion of the tube is wider than the anterior portion), and shorter claws. It differs from H. iskandarovi Tumanov, 1997 by lacking lunules and cuticular bars on the first three pairs of legs. It differs from Hypsibius allisoni Horning, Schuster & Grigarick, 1978 by having a septulum instead of an almost invisible microplacoid, and more slender claws with a longer basal portion.