Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2023-03-02
Page range: 378-392
Abstract views: 371
PDF downloaded: 38

Milnesium guanyinensis sp. nov. (Eutardigrada: Apochela) from Yunnan, China

College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710100, P. R. China.
College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710100, P. R. China.
College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710100, P. R. China.
College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710100, P. R. China.
College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710100, P. R. China.
College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710100, P. R. China.
China Milnesium M. katarzynae M. pacificum new species Tardigrada Eutardigrada

Abstract

A new species from China, Milnesium guanyinensis sp. nov. (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Apochela: Milnesiidae), is described by means of classical taxonomic analysis, i.e. morphology-based evidence, specifically obtained from light and scanning electron microscopy imaging. The new Milnesium species is characterised by the reticulated dorsal cuticle and a claw configuration [2-2]-[2-2] in hatchlings and [2-3]-[3-2] in juvenile and adult specimens. Milnesium guanyinensis sp. nov. is most similar to M. katarzynae Kaczmarek et al. 2004 and M. pacificum Sugiura et al. 2020, but it differs from them mainly by details of the dorsal sculpture and some morphometric characters. So far, there have been nearly 200 Tardigrada species reported for China, and the discovery of the new species raises the number of first known tardigrade species of the genus Milnesium in China to three.

References

  1. Binda, M.G. & Pilato, G. (1990) Tardigradi di Terra del Fuoco e Magallanes. I. Milnesium brachyungue, nuova specie di Tardigrado Milnesiidae. Animalia, 17, 105–110.

  2. Bi, R. (2019) Study on Tardigrada fauna and species diversity in Dabie Mountain area. MSc Thesis, Shaanxi Normal University. [in Chinese]

  3. Degma, P., Bertolani, R. & Guidetti, R. (2009–2022) Actual checklist of Tardigrada species. Available from: https://doi.org/10.25431/11380_1178608 (Accessed 16 May 2022)

  4. Doyère, M. (1840) Mémoire sur les Tardigrades. Annales des Sciences Naturalles, Zoologia, Paris, Series 2, 14, 269–362.

  5. Ehrenberg, C.G. (1853) Diagnoses novarum formarum. Verhandlungen der Königlich Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 8, 526–533.

  6. Gao, X.Y., Li, X.C. & Wang, L.Z. (2012) Taxonomic composition of the Chinese terrestrial-freshwater tardigrades. Journal of Anhui Agricultural Sciences, 40 (18), 9721–9725. [in Chinese]

  7. Guo, Y. (2020) Study on tardigrada fauna and species diversity in Funiu Mountain area. MSc thesis, Shaanxi Normal University. [in Chinese]

  8. Kaczmarek, Ł., Michalczyk, Ł. & Beasley, C.W. (2004) Milnesium katarzynae sp. nov., a new species of eutardigrade (Milnesiidae) from China. Zootaxa, 743 (1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.743.1.1

  9. Kaczmarek, Ł. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2007) A new species of Tardigrada (Eutardigrada: Milnesiidae): Milnesium krzysztofi from Costa Rica (Central America). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 34, 297–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014220709510088

  10. Lu, S.Z. (2006) Nature reserve construction and the tourism development of Hani Terrace — A case of Guanyingshan nature reserve, Yuanyang, Yunnan. Ecological Economy, 5, 207–221. [in Chinese]

  11. Marcus, E. (1928) IV: Bartierchen (Tardigrada). Die Tierwelt Deutschlands und der angrenzenden Meeresteile nach ihren Merkmalen und nach ihrer Lebensweise, 12, 1–226.

  12. Maucci, W. (1991) Tre nuove specie di Eutardigradi della Groenlandia Meridionale. Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona, 15, 279–289.

  13. Michalczyk, Ł., Wełnicz, W., Frohme, M. & Kaczmarek, Ł. (2012) Redescriptions of three Milnesium Doyèr, 1840 taxa (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Milnesiidae), including the nominal species for the genus. Zootaxa, 3154 (1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3154.1.1.

  14. Michalczyk, Ł. & Kaczmarek, Ł. (2013) The Tardigrada Register: a comprehensive online data repository for tardigrade taxonomy. Journal of Limnology, 72 (S1), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2013.s1.e22

  15. Morek, W., Gąsiorek, P., Stec, D., Blagden, B. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2016a) Experimental taxonomy exposes ontogenetic variability and elucidates the taxonomic value of claw configuration in Milnesium Doyère, 1840 (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Apochela). Contributions to Zoology, 85 (2), 173–200. https://doi.org/10.1163/18759866-08502003

  16. Morek, W. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2020) First extensive multilocus phylogeny of the genus Milnesium Doyère, 1840 (Tardigrada) reveals no congruence between genetic markers and morphological traits. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 188 (3), 681–693. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz040

  17. Morek, W., Stec, D., Gasiorek, P., Schill, R.O., Kaczmarek, Ł. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2016b) An experimental test of eutardigrade preparation methods for light microscopy. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 178 (4), 785–793. https://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12457

  18. Morek, W., Stec, D., Gąsiorek, P., Surmacz, B. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2019) Milnesium tardigradum Doyère, 1840: The first integrative study of interpopulation variability in a tardigrade species. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 57, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzs.12233

  19. Morek, W., Wałach, K. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2022) Rough backs: taxonomic value of epicuticular sculpturing in the genus Milnesium Doyère, 1840 (Tardigrada: Apochela). Scientific Reports, 12, 9857. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10758-z

  20. Moreno-Talamantes, A., Roszkowska, M., García-Aranda, M.A., Flores-Maldonado, J.J. & Kaczmarek, Ł. (2019) Current knowledge on Mexican tardigrades with a description of Milnesium cassandrae sp. nov. (Eutardigrada: Milnesiidae) and discussion on the taxonomic value of dorsal pseudoplates in the genus Milnesium Doyère, 1840. Zootaxa, 4691 (5), 501–524. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4691.5.5

  21. Nederström, P. (1919) Die bis jetzt asu Finnland bekannten Tardigraden. Acta Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, 46 (8).

  22. Pilato, G. (1981) Analisi di nuovi caratteri nello studio degli Eutardigradi. Animalia, 8, 51–57.

  23. Pilato, G, & Binda, M.G. (1991) Milnesium tetralamellatum, New Species of Milnesiidae from Africa (Eutardigrada). Tropical Zoology, 4, 103–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/03946975.1991.10539480

  24. Ramazzotti, G. & Maucci, W. (1983) Il Phylum Tardigrada. III. Memorie dell’Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, 41, 1–1011.

  25. Rocha, A.M., González-Reyes, A.X., Ostertag, B. & Lisi, O. (2022) The genus Milnesium (Eutardigrada, Apochela, Milnesiidae) in Argentina: description of three new species and key to the species of South America. European Journal of Taxonomy, 822 (1), 1–54. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.822.1807

  26. Schuster, R.O., Grigarick, A.A. & Toftner, E.C. (1975) Ultrastructure of tardigrade cuticle. Memorie dell’Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia, 32, 337–375.

  27. Schuster, R.O., Nelson, D.R., Grigarick, A.A. & Christenberry, D. (1980) Systematic criteria of the Eutardigrada. Transactions of the American Microscopical Society, 99, 284–303. https://doi.org/10.2307/3226004

  28. Stec, D., Gasiorek, P., Morek, W., Kosztyła, P., Zawierucha, K., Michno, K., Kaczmarek, Ł., Prokop, Z.M. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2016) Estimating optimal sample size for tardigrade morphometry. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 178, 776–784. https://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12404.

  29. Sugiura, K., Minato, H., Matsumoto, M. & Suzuki, A.C. (2020) Milnesium (Tardigrada: Apochela) in Japan: the first confirmed record of Milnesium tardigradum s.s. and description of Milnesium pacificum sp. nov. Zoological Science, 37 (5), 476–495. https://doi.org/10.2108/zs190154

  30. Sun, X.Z. (2014) Relationship between species diversity and environment of Tardigrada in China. PhD disseratation, Shaanxi Normal University. [in Chinese]

  31. Surmacz, B., Morek, W. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2019) What if multiple claw configurations are presenia sample: a case study with the description of Milnesium pseudotardigradum sp. nov. with unique developmental variability. Zoological Studies, 58, e32. https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2019.58-32

  32. Surmacz B., Morek W. & Michalczyk Ł. (2020) What to do when ontogenetic tracking is unavailable: a morphometric method to classify instars in Milnesium (Tardigrada). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 188 (3), 797–808. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz099

  33. Tumanov, D.V. (2006) Five new species of the genus Milnesium (Tardigrada, Eutardigrada, Milnesiidae). Zootaxa, 1122(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1122.1.1

  34. Xue, J. (2018) Study on Tardigrada fauna and species diversity in Liupan Mountain area. MSc Thesis, Shaanxi Normal University. [in Chinese]

  35. Yang, T. (2003) Two new species and three new records of Tardigrada (Heterotardigrada, Echiniscidae; Eutardigrada, Milnesiidae, Macrobiotidae, Hypsibiidae). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, 28 (2), 235–240.

  36. Yang, T. (2015) Fauna Sinica Invertebrata. Vol. 50. Tardigrada. Science Press, Beijing, 279 pp. [in Chinese]