Remarks on some Echiniscidae (Heterotardigrada) from New Zealand with the description of two new species
Author
Pilato, Giovanni
Author
Binda, Maria Grazia
Author
Lisi, Oscar
text
Zootaxa
2005
2005-07-29
1027
1
27
45
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1027.1.2
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.1027.1.2
11755334
5050047
EAE3E605-9C99-4081-B5D4-E845467A0B85
Echiniscus nigripustulatus
Horning, Schuster & Grigarick, 1978
(
Fig. 9 A
)
Material examined:
South Island
,
Arthurs Pass National Park
,
Halpin Creek
:
one specimen
—considered
paratype
by
Horning
et al
. (1978)
—from a sample of
Acrobolus cinerascens
(hepatic) and
Bartramia halleriana
(
moss) on rock face
.
The description of the cuticular sculpture of
E. nigripustulatus
is misleading.
Horning
et al
. (1978)
wrote: “Dorsal plates with weak polygonal pattern on scapular plate (Fig. 13); remaining plates with pores of irregular size and spacing and with some large (to
3 m
diameter), opaque granules (Fig. 13)”. According to this description the sculpture of the scapular plate seems to be very different from that of the other plates. In the
paratype
we examined, we noted that large circular granules surrounded by some pores are present on all plates (
Fig. 9 A
). The circular granules are thick and therefore can appear dark. The sculpture is less regular on the median portion of the scapular and terminal plates, more regular on the lateral portions of all plates. A smooth transversal band is present on the paired plates II and III whose anterior portions have dark granules but lack pores. Ventral surface with very fine, almost invisible dots.
Legs without dark granules. The teeth of the dentate fringe on the fourth pair of legs are very sharp. The dimensions of some structures of the examined
paratype
are provided in
Table 1
.