Fine scale population structure in the Echiniscus blumi-canadensis series (Heterotardigrada, Tardigrada) in an Iberian mountain range—When morphology fails to explain genetic structure

Genetic diversity in the parthenogenetic reproducing tardigrade Echiniscus testudo (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscoidea)

“…Very different haplotypes are present within a single sample (see for example sample 10 at locality T315 with haplotypes Et3, Et12 and Et18; Figs. 1 and 3), stressing the point that pooling of specimens in DNA extractions should be avoided, especially in population genetic studies as recently stated (Sands et al, 2008;Guil and Giribet, 2009). No general pattern of the distribution of haplotypes was evident, as some haplotypes were common at all three localities, whereas other haplotypes were numerous at one locality and scarce at other localities.…”

“…Guil and Giribet (2009) reported 107 haplotypes from 427 specimens in their lineage A in the E. blumicanadensis complex from Sierra de Guadarrama (Spain). Of these, 94 were private, i.e.…”

“…Within echiniscoidean tardigrades, sequences from the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) have previously been used to investigate: i) the genetic diversity in Echiniscus testudo (Doyère, 1840) over a large geographic area (Jørgensen et al, 2007); ii) the phylogeography of Echiniscoides (Faurby et al, 2011(Faurby et al, , 2012; iii) the taxonomic status, ecological patterns and phylogeography of various Echiniscus C:A.S. Schultze, 1840 species (Guil and Giribet, 2009); and iv) the phylogeny of Echiniscidae . Our test species, E. testudo (Echiniscoidea: Echiniscidae), belongs to a large cosmopolitan genus of terrestrial tardigrades, comprising more than 150 species (Guidetti and Bertolani, 2005).…”

“…The genus was once thought to be entirely parthenogenetic (Kristensen, 1987), but later studies have found males to be common in some non-European species (Dastych and Kristensen, 1995;Miller et al, 1999). Mitchell and Romano (2007) and Guil and Giribet (2009) reported the relatively low occurrence of 7 and 2.6% males in Echiniscus mauccii Ramazzotti, 1956 (North America) (McInnes, 1994) and males have never been reported, so predominantly parthenogenetic reproduction is therefore likely (Jørgensen et al, 2007). Passive wind dispersal of tardigrades has been demonstrated by Janiec (1996), and long range dispersal was suggested based on molecular data by Jørgensen et al (2007).…”

The past, the present and the future of eutardigrade taxonomy

“…These investigations have been directed both on phylogeny (Garey et al, 1996(Garey et al, , 1999Giribet et al, 1996;Jørgensen and Kristensen, 2004;Guidetti et al, 2005;Nichols et al, 2006;Guil and Giribet, 2011) and on species identification and distribution (Jørgensen et al, 2007;Schill and Steinbrück, 2007;Faurby et al, 2008;Cesari et al, 2009Cesari et al, , 2011Guil and Giribet, 2009;Bertolani et al, 2011). They will go on, will be more and more thorough and will help us to distinguish between sibling species so similar morphologically that they are now very difficult or even impossible to be distinguished one from another.…”