First faunistic report of limno-terrestrial tardigrades (Tardigrada Doyère, 1840) from the Maltese Islands

Abstract

Until now, the tardigrade fauna of the Maltese archipelago was unknown, since only the presence of unidentified tardigrades in Malta was reported in the literature. The present study includes the analysis of 11 moss and lichen samples collected in 2015 and 2017 from the islands of Malta and Gozo, and 10 historical microscopic preparations from past fieldwork by Pilato and Binda. Eleven species are reported for the Maltese archipelago, of which, three are new to science but still to be formally described. The taxonomic and faunistic data obtained are discussed in comparison with those of Sicily and North Africa, aiming to draft preliminary faunistic and biogeographic considerations.