Towards a better understanding of deep-sea tardigrade biogeography: numerous new records from the Southern Ocean Author Trokhymchuk, Roman VN Karazin Kharkiv National University, Svobody Square, 4, 61022, Kharkiv, Ukraine. & German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research (DZMB), Senckenberg am Meer, Südstrand 44, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Author Schmidt-Rhaesa, Andreas 0000-0003-4102-9371 ZTM, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany. haesa@leibniz-lib.de Author Utevsky, Serge 0000-0003-1290-6742 VN Karazin Kharkiv National University, Svobody Square, 4, 61022, Kharkiv, Ukraine. serge.utevsky@karazin.ua Author Kristensen, Reinhardt Møbjerg 0000-0001-9549-1188 Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Gothersgade 130, 1123 Copenhagen, Denmark. rmkristensen@snm.ku.dk Author Kieneke, Alexander 0000-0001-8180-2483 German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research (DZMB), Senckenberg am Meer, Südstrand 44, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany. alexander.kieneke@senckenberg.de text Zootaxa 2024 2024-12-02 5543 1 1 39 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5543.1.1 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5543.1.1 1175-5326 14385085 F6372401-5C79-487C-A8C1-DBDEE7C71671 Moebjergarctus clarionclippertonensis Bai , Wang, Zhou, Lin, Meng & Fontoura, 2020 N= 4 specimens : 2 females , 2 with undetermined sex occurrence: ANDEEP 1, ANDEEP-SYSTCO ; 3,551–3,650 m bsl . Fig. 7 ; Supplementary Table 1.4 Short description Large and robust tardigrade 148–283 µm long and 52.3–99.7 µm width (n=2). Buccal apparatus with stylets ( Fig. 7B ). Cephalic cirri with annulated base, smooth portion of the scapus and short flagellum ( Fig. 7E, F ). Each leg with a sensory organ ( Fig. 7E ). Internal and external digits are of the same size and wrinkled ( Fig. 7C, G ). Caudal region is covered with a thick cuticular layer shown as a bulge ( Fig. 7A, E ). All the females have a patched seminal receptacle opening ( Fig. 7D, H ). Remarks The identification of this species is certain because of the morphology of cephalic cirri (annulated base, smooth scapus and short flagellum). The internal and external digits of all limbs are the same size that distinguishes this species from M. okhotensis ( Bai et al. 2020 , Saulenko et al. 2022 ). This species was previously reported from Pacific deep-sea plains with a high abundance of manganese or polymetallic nodules ( Bai et al. 2020 ). At least the sampling stations of expedition ANDEEP 1 that contained M. clarionclippertonensis (Shackleton Fracture Zone, 59°52.30′S , 59°57.63′W ) at the deep sea bottom of the Drake Passage are also close to areas with polymetallic sulfide deposits and hydrothermal vent activity (see discussion for details).