12th International Symposium on Tardigrada
27 March 2013
Vol. 72 No. s1 (2013): 12th International Symposium on Tardigrada

A new intertidal arthrotardigrade, Prostygarctus aculeatus gen. nov., sp. nov. (Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada) from the North of Portugal (Atlantic ocean)

Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
3516
Views
629
Downloads

Authors

A new arthrotardigrade, Prostygarctus aculeatus gen. nov., sp. nov. is described from intertidal meiobenthos samples collected at Ofir beach, Esposende, North of Portugal. The new species, an armoured arthrotardigrade of the family Stygarctidae, is easily distinguished from all the other stygarctids by an unusual caudal apparatus, which consists of a very long medial spine with two lateral furca-like processes. It is also characterised by the presence of backwardly directed dorsal spines and a pair of ventral spines. Furthermore, it has four digits on each leg, ending in simple claws. The morphological peculiarities exhibited by the new species justify the establishment of a new genus and will provide useful insights to help develop our understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of armoured arthrotardigrades.

Altmetrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

How to Cite



“A New Intertidal Arthrotardigrade, Prostygarctus Aculeatus Gen. nov., Sp. Nov. (Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada) from the North of Portugal (Atlantic Ocean)”. 2013. Journal of Limnology 72 (s1): e2. https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2013.s1.e2.