Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 2022 No. 1: 27 Feb. 2009
Type: Article
Published: 2009-02-27
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2022.1.4
Page range: 45–57
Abstract views: 70
PDF downloaded: 3

Macrobiotus (Eutardigrada, Macrobiotidae) from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina, USA (North America): two new species and six new records

Department of Biology, Warren Wilson College, CPO 6032, PO Box 9000, Asheville, North Carolina 28815, USA
Department of Animal Biology “Marcello La Greca”, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124, Catania, Italy
2Department of Animal Biology “Marcello La Greca”, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124, Catania, Italy
Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37614, USA
Tardigrada taxonomy Macrobiotus martini sp. nov. Macrobiotus halei sp. nov. Macrobiotus hufelandi group Macrobiotus richtersi group new species new records Tennessee North Carolina USA

Abstract

As part of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (http://www.dlia.org), we are conducting a large-scale multihabitat inventory of tardigrades in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) in Tennessee and North Carolina, USA. Here we report our findings for the genus Macrobiotus (Eutardigrada, Macrobiotidae). Two new species, Macrobiotus martini sp. nov. and Macrobiotus halei sp. nov., are described from moss, lichen, soil and leaf litter samples. Macrobiotus martini sp. nov. differs from all other species of the Macrobiotus hufelandi group by having a very simple buccal armature without bands of teeth, very large elliptical cuticular pores, unique characteristics of the egg, and other morphometric characters. Macrobiotus halei sp. nov. differs from other species in the Macrobiotus richtersi group by having very small cuticular tubercles, well-developed macroplacoids, unique characteristics of the egg, and other morphometric characters. Seven additional Macrobiotus species have been identified in the GSMNP: M. harmsworthi Murray, 1907, M. hufelandi Schultze, 1834, M. islandicus Richters, 1904, M. montanus Murray, 1910, M. pallarii Maucci, 1954, M. recens Cuénot, 1932, and M. tonollii Ramazzotti, 1956. All of these except M. harmsworthi are new records for the national park. In addition, M. pallarii is a new record for North Carolina, M. islandicus is a new record for North Carolina and Tennessee, M. montanus is a new record for the eastern USA, and M. recens is a new record for the USA.

References

  1. Bartels, P.J. & Nelson, D.R. (2006) A large-scale, multihabitat inventory of the Phylum Tardigrada in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA: a preliminary report. Hydrobiologia, 558, 111–118.

    Bartels, P.J. & Nelson, D.R. (2007) An evaluation of species richness estimators for tardigrades of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina, USA. Journal of Limnology, 66 (Suppl. 1), 104–110.

    Bartels, P.J., Nelson, D.R., Kaczmarek, Ł. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2007) Doryphoribius smokiensis, a new species of Eutardigrada (Hypsibiidae) from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park TN, USA (North America). Zootaxa, 1646, 59–65.

    Bartels, P.J., Nelson, D.R., Kaczmarek, Ł. & Michalczyk, Ł. (2008) Three new species and one new record of the genus Doryphoribius Pilato, 1969 (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Hypsibiidae) from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee, USA). Journal of Natural History, 42, 2595–2608.

    Binda, M.G., Pilato, G., Moncada, E. & Napolitano, G. (2001) Some tardigrades from Central Africa with the description of two new species: Macrobiotus ragonesei and M. priviterae (Eutardigrada Macrobiotidae). Tropical Zoology, 14, 233–242.

    Biserov, V. (1996) Macrobiotus lorenae sp. n., a new species of Tardigrada (Eutardigrada, Macrobiotidae) from the Russian Far East. Arthropoda Selecta, 5 (1–2), 145–149.

    Cuénot, L. (1932) Tardigrades. In: Faune de France, 24, 1–96. (Ed.), Paul Lechevalier, Paris.

    Degma, P. & Guidetti, R. (2007) Notes to the current checklist of Tardigrada. Zootaxa, 1579, 41–53.

    Guidetti, R. & Bertolani, R. (2005) Tardigrade taxonomy: an updated check list of the taxa and a list of characters for their identification. Zootaxa, 845, 1–46.

    Kaczmarek, L., Michalczk, L. & Diduszko, D. (2005) Some tardigrades from Siberia (Russia Baikal region) with a description of Macrobiotus garynhai sp. nov. (Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae: richtersi group). Zootaxa, 1053, 35–45.

    Maucci, W. (1954) Tardigradi nuovi della fauna italiana. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali, 93, 576–585.

    McInnes, S.J. (1994) Zoogeographic distribution of terrestrial/freshwater tardigrades from current literature. Journal of Natural History, 28, 257–352.

    Meyer, H.A. (2008) Distribution of tardigrades in Florida. Southeastern Naturalist, 7, 1, 91–100.

    Michalczyk, L. & Kaczmarek, L. (2006) A new species, Macrobiotus magdalenae (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae, richtersi-group), from Costa Rica rain forest (Central America). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 33, 189–196.

    Michalczyk, L., Kaczmarek, L. & Weglarska, B. (2006) Macrobiotus sklodowskae sp. nov. (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae, richtersi-group) from Cyprus. Zootaxa, 1371, 45–56.

    Murray, J. (1907) Arctic Tardigrada. Transactions Royal Society, Edinburgh, 45, 3, 669–681.

    Murray, J. (1910) Tardigrada. Reports of the scientific investigations, British Antarctic Expedition 1907–1909. I, 5, 83–185.

    Nelson, D.R. & Bartels, P.J. (2007) “Smoky Bears”—Tardigrades of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Southeastern Naturalist, Special Issue 1, 229–238.

    Nelson, D.R. & McInnes, S.J. (2002) Tardigrada. In: Rundle, S.D., Robertson, A.L., & Schmid-Araya, J.M. (Eds.), Freshwater Meiofauna: Biology and Ecology. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 177–215.

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

    Pilato, G., Binda, M.G. & Catanzaro, R. (1991) Remarks on some tardigrades of the African fauna with description of three new species of Macrobiotus Schultze 1894. Tropical Zoology, 4, 167–178.

    Pilato, G., Binda, M.G. & Lisi, O. (2002) Notes on tardigrades of the Seychelles with description of two new species. Bollettino dell’Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali, Catania 35, 361, 503–517.

    Pilato, G., Binda, M.G. & Lisi, O. (2004) Notes on tardigrades of the Seychelles with the description of three new species. Italian Journal of Zoology, 71, 171–178.

    Pilato, G., Binda, M.G. & Lisi, O. (2006) Three new species of eutardigrades from the Seychelles. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 33, 39–48.

    Ramazzotti, G. (1956) Tre nuove specie di Tardigradi ed altre specie poco comuni. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali, 95, 284–291.

    Richters, F. (1904) Isländische Tardigraden. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 28, 10, 373–377.

    Riggin, G.T. (1962) Tardigrada of southwest Virginia: with the addition of a description of a new marine species from Florida. Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, Technical Bulletin, 152, 1–145.

    Schultze, C.A.S. (1834) Macrobiotus hufelandii animal e crustaceorum classe novum, reviviscendi post diuturnam asphyxiam et ariditatem potens, etc. 8. C. Curths, Berlin.

    Sharkey, M.J. (2001) The all taxa biological inventory of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Florida Entomologist, 84, 556–564.

    Tumanov, D.V. (2005) Notes on the Tardigrada of Thailand, with a description of Macrobiotus alekseevi sp. nov. (Eutardigrada, Macrobiotidae). Zootaxa, 999, 1–16.