Tardigrada from a sub-Andean forest in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia) with the description of Itaquascon pilatoi sp. nov.

Abstract

Currently only 32 species of limno-terrestrial tardigrades have been reported in the literature for Colombia. Our study focused on both heterotardigrades and eutardigrades, which were extracted from eight samples of bryophytes and lichens collected in a sub-Andean forest transect in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Fourteen species were found, six of which are new records for Colombia: Echiniscus madonnae Michalczyk & Kaczmarek, 2006, Echiniscus virginicus Riggin, 1962, Milnesium krzysztofi Kaczmarek & Michalczyk, 2007, Doryphoribius amazzonicus Lisi, 2011, Isohypsibius sattleri (Richters, 1902) and Diphascon higginsi Binda, 1971; and one new to science. Itaquascon pilatoi sp. nov., is characterized by having smooth cuticle, no eyes, buccal tube almost as long as the pharyngeal tube, well developed, obvious stylet furcae with long branches, slender claws, no lunules and no cuticular bars on the legs. The new species differs from I. umbellinae Barros, 1939, the most similar species, in having the stylet supports inserted precisely at the border between buccal and pharyngeal tube, more slender claws and more pronounced length differential between the external and internal claws of each leg. The total number of Colombian limno-terrestrial tardigrade species is raised to 37.

Is the gut content ofMilnesium(Eutardigrada) related to buccal tube size?

“…The revision encouraged many new records and species descriptions from various localities throughout the world (e.g. Kaczmarek, Jakubowska & Michalczyk, ; Kaczmarek et al ., ; Kaczmarek, Michalczyk & McInnes, , ; Kaczmarek et al ., ; Meyer & Hinton, ; Johansson et al ., ; Hinton et al ., ; Meyer, Hinton & Dupré, ; Meyer, Domingue & Hinton, ; Shaw & Miller, ; Trygvadóttir & Kristensen, ; Bartels et al ., ; Ciobanu et al ., , b; Lisi, Londoño & Quiroga, ; Zawierucha et al ., ; Melo et al ., ; Ciobanu, Roszkowska & Kaczmarek, ; Londoño et al ., ; Meyer, ). The latest revision of the genus, with an updated diagnostic key and with the first tardigrade species description enhanced by developmental information, was performed by Morek et al .…”

Echiniscidae from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, new records and a new species of Bryodelphax Thulin, 1928 (Tardigrada)

“…To date, only ten species of Echiniscidae Thulin, 1928, have been reported from Colombia: Echiniscus bigranulatus Richters, 1908a, Echiniscus blumi Richters, 1903 sensu lato , Echiniscus madonnae Michalczyk & Kaczmarek, 2006, Echiniscus quadrispinosus Richters, 1902 sensu lato , Echiniscus spiniger Richters, 1904, Echiniscus testudo (Doyère, 1840), Echiniscus virginicus Riggin, 1962, Echiniscus wendti Richters, 1903, Pseudechiniscus novaezeelandiae (Richters, 1908b) sensu lato , and Pseudechiniscus suillus (Ehrenberg, 1853) (Meyer 2013, Lisi et al 2014, Kaczmarek et al 2015). In the present study, material deposited in the “Centro de Colecciones Biológicas de la Universidad del Magdalena” collected between 2011 and 2012 from different localities in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia) was examined.…”

The genus Milnesium Doyère, 1840 (Tardigrada) in South America with descriptions of two new species from Argentina and discussion of the feeding behaviour in the family Milnesiidae

“…Remarks: Until now, this species was known only from Costa Rica (locus typicus) (Kaczmarek and Michalczyk 2007), Colombia (Lisi et al 2014;Melo et al 2014) and Peru (Kaczmarek et al 2014a,b) (Table 3). Such distribution may suggest a neotropical distribution of this species.…”

“…To date, ca. 210 taxa (including seven Milnesium species) have been reported from this region (mostly from Argentina, Chile and Brazil) (McInnes 1994;Pilato 1994a,b, 1999a,b;Pilato and Binda 1994, 1996, 1998Maucci 1996;Claps and Rossi 1997;Claxton 1998;Pilato and Patanè 1998;Dastych et al 1998;Pilato et al , 2000Pilato et al , 2002Pilato et al , 2003Pilato et al , 2004Dastych 1999a,b, 2000, Pilato 2000, 2007Jerez Jaimes and Narváez Parra 2001;Nickel et al 2001;Peluffo et al 2002Peluffo et al , 2007Michalczyk and Kaczmarek 2003, 2005Marley 2006; Moly de Peluffo et al 2006;Degma et al 2008;Kaczmarek and Michalczyk 2009;Rossi et al 2009;Montoya et al 2010;Lisi 2011;Guidetti et al 2013;Meyer 2013;Kaczmarek et al 2014a, b;Lisi et al 2014;Melo et al 2014).…”

“…Since the genus was recently redescribed (Michalczyk et al 2012a,b), many new records and species have been reported from various localities throughout the world (e.g. Kaczmarek et al 2012aKaczmarek et al ,b, 2014bMeyer and Hinton 2012;Johansson et al 2013;Hinton et al 2013;Meyer et al 2013Meyer et al , 2014Shaw and Miller 2013;Trygvadóttir and Kristensen 2013;Bartels et al 2014;Ciobanu et al 2014a,b;Lisi et al 2014;Zawierucha et al 2014;Melo et al 2014). Taking into consideration that some morphological characters were not mentioned in older records of the genus members, all the Milnesium records before 2012 should be verified (Michalczyk et al 2012a,b).…”