Abstract
Only few species of tardigrades have been recorded from Israel. In this paper we report an additional 20 species, 18 of which are new records for that geographical area; four (Bryodelphax meronensis sp. nov., Macrobiotus dimentmani sp. nov., Pseudobiotus hirsutellus sp. nov. and Mixibius schnurae sp. nov.) are new to science. Bryodelphax meronensis sp. nov. differs from similar species (B. alzirae, B. tatrensis and B. mateusi) in details of the cuticular ornamentation and the absence of papilla on the hind legs. It also differs from B. alzirae by the presence of 12 lateral intersegmental platelets, instead of 6. It differs from B. atlantis in details of the plate ornamentation, lack of eyes, and shorter internal buccal cirri. Macrobiotus dimentmani sp. nov. differs from M. diffusus with more slender claws, the external claws slightly longer, and in characteristics of the eggs (the apical portion of the conical processes is subdivided into two to six long, flexible terminal points that are not very thin filaments; each process has a ring of basal dots, the egg shell has an obvious granulation). Mixibius schnurae sp. nov. differs from all other known species within the genus by characteristics of the cuticular ornamentation; in addition it differs from M. ornatus and M. sutirae in having the stylet supports inserted on the buccal tube in a more cephalic position; and from M. ninguidus in having longer buccal tube and shorter second placoid. Pseudobiotus hirsutellus sp. nov. differs from P. vladimiri in the presence of eye spots; cuticular spine-shaped processes present on the central portion of the body as well as the anterior and posterior portions; wider buccal tube, longer placoids; longer claws that are without accessory points; and the absence of oval papillae on the first three pairs of legs. The new species differs from P. spinifer in having less numerous and smaller spine-shaped cuticular processes; wider buccal tube; longer placoids; and the absence of oval papilla on the first three pairs of legs.References
Bertolani, R. (1976) Osservazioni cariologiche su Isohypsibius augusti (Murray, 1907) e I. megalonyx Thulin, 1928 (Tardigrada) e ridescrizione delle due specie. Bollettino di Zoologia, 43, 221–234.
Bertolani, R. (1981) A new genus and five new species of Italian fresh-water Tardigrades. Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona, 8, 249–254.
Bertolani, R. (1982) Tardigradi (Tardigrada). Guide per il riconoscimento delle specie animali delle acque interne italiane. CNR, AQ/1/168, 15, 1–104.
Bertolani, R., Marley, N.J. & Nelson, D.R. (1999) Re-description of the genus Thulinia (Eutardigrada: Hypsibiidae) and of Thulinia augusti (Murray, 1907) comb. n. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 238, 139–145.
Binda, M.G. (1969) Nuovi dati su tardigradi di Sicilia con descrizione di due nuove specie. Bollettino delle Sedute dell’Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali in Catania, Serie 4, 9, 623–633.
Binda, M.G. (1980) Tardigradi di Lucania. Animalia, 7, 79–91.
Binda, M.G. & Pilato, G. (1969) Tardigradi muscicoli dell’Isola di Ustica (Sicilia) con descrizione di due specie nuove. Bollettino delle Sedute dell’Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali in Catania, Serie 4, 10, 171–180.
Binda, M.G. & Pilato, G. (1971) Nuovo contributo alla conoscenza dei Tardigradi di Sicilia. Bollettino delle Sedute dell’Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali in Catania, Serie 4, 10, 896–909.
Binda, M.G. & Pilato, G. (1972) Tardigradi muscicoli di Sicilia. IV Nota. Bollettino delle Sedute dell’Accademia Gioenia di Scienze naturali in Catania, Serie 4, 9, 47–60.
Binda, M.G. & Pilato, G. (1987) Tardigradi dell’Africa. V. Notizie sui Tardigradi del Nordafrica e descrizione della nuova specie Macrobiotus diffusus. Animalia, 14, 177–191.
Biserov, V. (1986) Terrestrial water bears from the north Caucasus. 2, Eutardigrada. Zoologicheskii Zhurnal, 45, 981–993 (in Russian).
Biserov, V. (1999) A review of the Tardigrada from Novaya Zemlya, with descriptions of three new species, and an evaluation of the environment of this region. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 238, 199–182.
Biserov, V.I., Dudichev, A.L. & Biserova, N.M. (2001) Preliminary data on tardigrades of Lake Biwa (Japan). Arthropoda Selecta, 10, 307–310.
Bois-Reymond Marcus, E. du. (1944) Sobre Tardigrados brasileiros. Comunicaciones Zoologicas del Museo de Historia Natural de Montevideo, 1, 1–9.
Chang, C.Y., Kaczmarek, L., Lee, J.M. & Michalczyk, L. (2007) Pseudobiotus spinifer, a new Tardigrade species (Eutardigrada: Hypsibiidae) from Nakdong River, South Korea, with a redescription of P. vladimiri Biserov, Dudichev & Biserova. Zoological Science, 24, 623–629.
Cuénot, L. (1929) Description d’un tardigrade nouveau de la faune française. Archive d’Anatomie microscopique, 25, 121–125.
Cuénot, L. (1932) Tardigrades. Faune de France, 24, 1–96.
Doyère, M.L. (1840) Mémoire sur les Tardigrades. Annales des sciences naturelles, Serie 2, 14, 269–361.
Ehrenberg, C.G. (1853) Diagnoses novarum formarum. Monatsberichte der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenshaften zu Berlin, 8, 526–533.
Fontoura, P. (1982) Deux nouvelles espèces de Tardigrades muscicoles du Portugal. Publicações do Instituto de Zoologia «Dr. Augusto Nobre», Faculdade de Ciências do Porto,165, 5–19.
Fontoura, P., Pilato, G. & Lisi, O. (2008) Echiniscidae (Tardigrada, Heterotardigrada) from Faial and Pico Islands, the Azores, with the description of two new species. Zootaxa, 1693, 49–61.
Iharos, G. (1966) Neue Tardigraden-Arten aus Ungarn (Neuere Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Tardigraden-Fauna Ungarns, VI). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 12, 111–122.
Iharos, G. (1968) Eine neue Tardigraden-Gattung von mariner Verwandtschaft aus dem chilenischen Altipiano. Opuscola Zoologica Budapest, 9, 107–113.
Kaczmarek, L. & Michalczyk, L. (2004) A new species Bryodelphax asiaticus (Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada: Echiniscidae) from Mongolia (Central Asia). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 52, 599–602.
Kristensen, R.M. (1987) Generic revision of the Echiniscidae (Heterotardigrada), with a discussion of the origin of the family. In: Bertolani, R. (Ed.), Biology of Tardigrades. Selected Symposia and Monographs, U.Z.I., 1. Mucchi Editore, Modena Italy, 261–335.
Li, H. & Li, X. (2008) Two new species of Hypsibiidae (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada) from China. Proceeding of the Biological Society of Washington, 121, 41–48.
Marcus, E. (1936) Tardigrada. In: Gruyter, W. de (Ed.), Das Tierreich, Berlin und Leipzig, 66, pp. 1–340.
Maucci, W. (1986) Tardigrada. Fauna d’Italia, Calderini, Bologna, 388 pp.
McInnes, S.J. (1994) Zoogeographic distribution of terrestrial/freshwater tardigrades from current literature. Journal of Natural History, 28, 257–352.
Morgan, C.I. & King, P.E. (1976) British Tardigrada. Synopsis of the British Fauna (new series) 9. The Linnean Society of London, 133 pp.
Murray, J. (1906) Scottish alpine Tardigrada. Annals of Scottish Natural History, 57, 25–30.
Murray, J. (1907a) Scottish Tardigrada collected by the Lake Survey. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 45, 641–668.
Murray, J. (1907b) Arctic Tardigrada collected by Wm. S. Bruce. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 45, 669–681.
Murray, J. (1910) Tardigrada. British Antarctic Expedition 1907–9. Reports on the Scientific Investigations. Volume 1 Biology, (Part V), 81–185.
Murray, J. (1911) Arctiscoidea. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 31, 1–16.
Nelson, D.R., Marley, N.J. & Bertolani, R. (1999) Re-description of the genus Pseudobiotus (Eutardigrada, Hypsibiidae) and of the new species Pseudobiotus kathmanae sp. n. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 238, 311–317.
Pilato, G. (1970) Osservazioni sui Tardigradi delle Alpi Apuane. Lavori della Società Italiana di Biogeografia (N.S.), 1, 336–348.
Pilato, G. (1971) Tardigradi delle acque dolci siciliane. Nota prima. Bollettino delle sedute dell’Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali in Catania, Serie 4, 11, 126–134.
Pilato, G. (1972) Prime osservazioni sui Tardigradi delle Isole Egadi. Bollettino delle sedute dell’ Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali in Catania, Serie 4, 11, 111–124.
Pilato, G. (1981) Analisi di nuovi caratteri nello studio degli Eutardigradi. Animalia, 8, 51–57.
Pilato, G. & D’Urso, V. (1976) Contributo alla conoscenza dei Tardigradi d’Australia. Animalia, 3, 135–145.
Pilato, G. & Rebecchi, L. (1992) Ramazzottius semisculptus, nuova specie di Hypsibiidae (Eutardigrada). Animalia, 19, 227–234.
Pilato, G., Bertolani, R. & Binda, M.G. (1982) Studio degli Isohypsibius del gruppo elegans (Eutardigrada, Hypsibiidae) con descrizione di due nuove specie. Animalia, 9, 185–198.
Pilato, G., Binda, M.G. & Lisi, O. (2004) Notes on some tardigrades of Thailand with descriptions of two new species. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 31, 319–325.
Pilato, G., Binda, M.G., Napolitano, A. & Moncada, E. (2000) The specific value of Macrobiotus coronatus De Barros, 1942, and description of two new species of the harmsworthi group (Eutardigrada). Bollettino delle Sedute dell’Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali in Catania, 33, 103–120.
Pilato, G., Binda, M.G., Napolitano, A. & Moncada, E. (2002) Tardigrades from Ecuador, with the description of two new species: Mixibius ornatus n. sp. and Diphascon (Adropion) onorei n. sp. (Eutardigrada, Hypsibiidae). Studies in Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 37, 175–179.
Rahm, G. (1936) Tardigraden aus Palästina. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 115, 65–76.
Ramazzotti, G. (1972) Il Phylum Tardigrada. Memorie dell’Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, 28, 1–732.
Ramazzotti, G. & Maucci, W. (1983) Il Phylum Tardigrada. Memorie dell’Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, 41, 1–1012.
Richters, F. (1902) Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Fauna der Umgebung von Frankfurt a. M. Bericht über die senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft, 1902, 3–21.
Richters, F. (1903) Nordische Tardigraden. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 29, 5, 168–172.
Richters, F. (1904) Arktische Tardigraden. Fauna arctica, 3, 493–508.
Schultze, C.A.S. (1834) Macrobiotus hufelandi animal e crustaceorum classe novum reviviscendi post diuturnam asphyxiam et ariditatem potens, etc. 8, C. Curths, Berlin.
Thulin, G. (1928) Über die Phylogenie und das System der Tardigraden. Hereditas, 11, 207–266.
Węglarska, B.(1959) Die Tardigraden (Tardigrada) Polens. I. Tardigraden der Woiwodschaft Kraków. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 4, 699–745.