The Tardigrada of southern Africa, with the description of Minibiotus harrylewisi, a new species from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae) Author Meyer, Harry A. Author Hinton, Juliana G. text African Invertebrates 2009 2009-12-31 50 2 255 255 http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.5733/afin.050.0203 journal article 10.5733/afin.050.0203 2305-2562 7917056 Minibiotus harrylewisi sp. n. Figs 8–17 ; Tables 3, 4 Etymology: The specific epithet honors the first author’s father, Harry Lewis Meyer, in recognition of his unstinting support of his son’s academic career. Description (adult measurements are given from holotype unless otherwise indicated; pt index in brackets and italics): Body length 336.0. Body white or transparent. Eyespots present in posterior position. Cuticle without sculpture or granulation (including legs), with 10 bands of circular, oval, trefoil, or quadrifoil pores (no stellate pores); bands 2–6 pores wide ( Figs 8 , 11– 13 ). Circular and oval pores more common on anterior region of body; trefoil and quadrifoil more common on posterior body and also on legs. Pores significantly larger on posterior half of body ( Fig. 11 ) than on anterior half ( Fig. 12 ) (1.3, n=32 on anterior end; 1.8, n=27 on posterior end; p <0.0001; combined data from 10 specimens ), and on legs ( Fig. 13 ) than on rest of body (1.9, n=37 on legs; 1.5, n=60 on body; p <0.001; combined data from 10 specimens ). Peribuccal papillae absent. Oral cavity armature absent or not visible with light microscopy. Mouth anteroventral. Buccal tube rigid, 27.9 long and 2.6 [ 9.3 ] wide ( Fig. 14 ), with double curvature ( Fig. 14 ). Stylet support inserted on buccal tube at 17.7 [ 63.4 ]. Short ventral lamina, 17.9 [ 63. 4] long. Pharyngeal apophyses triangular and close to first macroplacoid. First macroplacoid round and 2.7 [ 9. 7] long; second pear-shaped, 2.0 [ 7.2 ] long; third also pear-shaped, 2.5 [ 9.0 ] long. Macroplacoid row 9.8 [ 35.1 ] long. Indistinct, rod-shaped microplacoid 1.0 [ 3.6 ] long. Placoid row 11.7 [ 39.5 ] long. Pharyngeal bulb round, 35.5×36.0. Claws short and slender. Primary branches of all claws with distinct accessory points. All claws with smooth-edged (not dentate or crenate) lunules but well developed only on leg IV. Leg I: primary branch with basal claw 7.5 [ 26.9 ] long, secondary branch 5.6 [ 20.1 ] long. Leg II: pb with bc 7.8 [ 28.0 ] long, sb 4.7 [ 16.8 ] long. Leg III: pb with bc 8.6 [ 28.7 ] long, sb 7.3 [ 26.2 ] long ( Fig. 15 ). Leg IV pb with bc 9.3 [ 33.0 ] in length, sb 6.6 [ 23.7 ] ( Fig. 16 ). Figs 8–10. Minibiotus harrylewisi sp. n. , KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: (8) habitus, (9) claw of leg III, (10) egg. Scale bar in Fig. 8 = 100 µm, in Figs 9, 10 = 10 µm. TABLE 3 Morphometric data and pt values of selected structures of 10 specimens of Minibiotus harrylewisi sp. n. All lengths in µm. Range refers to the smallest and largest structure found among all measured specimens (a zero indicates the structure was not present on some specimens). Abbreviations: N – number of specimens measured, SD – standard deviation, n.a. – not applicable, pt – pt index.

Range		Mean		SD
Character	N	Length	pt	Length	pt	Length	pt
Body	10	200.3–386.6	n.a.	304.2	n.a.	65.7	n.a.
Buccal tube	10	19.7–32.9	n.a.	28.1	n.a.	4.3	n.a.
Stylet support insertion	10	12.1–21.8	61.4–67.6	18.1	64.1	3.1	3.8
Buccal tube width	10	1.9–3.4	6.7–11.2	2.6	9.3	0.5	1.3
First macroplacoid	10	1.3–3.7	5.2–12.4	2.2	8.0	0.7	2.1
Second macroplacoid	10	1.2–2.6	6.0–8.6	2.0	7.2	0.4	0.9
Third macroplacoid	10	1.2–2.9	4.7–10.0	2.2	7.7	0.6	1.8
Macroplacoid row	10	5.6–10.9	26.3–36.6	9.1	32.3	1.8	3.7
Microplacoid	7	0–2.6	0–7.9	1.4	4.5	0.7	2.2
Placoid row	7	10.4–34.7	34.6–46.0	11.8	39.4	1.2	1.0
Primary claw branch, Leg I	10	5.5–9.7	23.1–32.6	7.7	27.6	2.9	6.4
Secondary claw branch, Leg I	10	4.0–7.0	16.4–23.1	5.6	19.9	1.0	1.9
Primary claw branch, Leg II	10	6.3–10.5	27.4–35.2	8.3	29.7	2.6	8.5
Secondary claw branch, Leg II	10	3.6–7.9	16.8–27.1	5.8	20.5	1.5	3.6
Primary claw branch, Leg III	10	6.5–9.8	27.9–34.3	8.8	31.1	1.2	2.4
Secondary claw branch, Leg III	10	3.4–8.0	16.0–26.8	6.4	22.4	2.4	1.6
Primary claw branch, Leg IV	10	6.7–13.6	26.9–45.6	9.9	35.2	2.1	4.7
Secondary claw branch, Leg IV	10	4.5–9.9	19.3–33.2	6.9	2.0	24.4	4.5

Figs 11–13. Pores of Minibiotus harrylewisi sp. n. , KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: (11) posterior pores, (12) anterior pores, (13) pores of leg I. Scale bar = 20 µm. TABLE 4 Morphometric data of selected structures on seven eggs of Minibiotus harrylewisi sp. n. Ranges and means are in µm. Range refers to the smallest and largest structure found among all measured specimens. Abbreviations: N – number of specimens measured, SD – standard deviation.

Character	N	Range	Mean	SD
Diameter without processes	7	66.1–80.0	70.7	5.4
Diameter with processes	7	78.2–101.9	88.5	7.2
Height of process	9	7.6–12.8	10.2	1.4
Width of process base	9	3.2–5.6	4.3	0.7
Distance between processes	9	1.3–4.1	2.8	4.0
Number of processes around circumference	7	32.0–41.0	36.6	3.2
Number of processes in optical section	5	94.0–166.0	118.8	32.6

Eggs white/colourless, laid freely, with smooth surface ( Fig. 17 ), with 32–41 long, thin, non-membranous processes around circumference. Processes densely packed, in the form of elongated, tapering cones with bulbous base. Size variable (Table 4). Comparison: The presence of three macroplacoids in M. harrylewisi sp. n. differentiates it from species of Minibiotus with two. About half of the species in the genus have sculptured, granulated, or smooth cuticles; M. harrylewisi sp. n. differs from these in having a cuticle without sculpture or granulation, but having numerous pores. Among species with pores, the eggs of several have short processes covered with membranes, unlike the long, thin, non-membranous processes of M. harrylewisi sp. n. Among species with pores and conical egg processes, the new species lacks the large leg pore or large stellate pores characteristic of M. constellatus Michalczyk & Kaczmarek, 2003 , M. siderius Pilato, Binda & Lisi, 2003 , M. gumersindoi Guil & Guidetti, 2005 , or M. eichhorni Michalczyk & Kaczmarek, 2004 . Unlike M. vinciguerrae Binda & Pilato, 1992 , the pores of M. harrylewisi sp. n. are arranged in distinct bands. The new species differs from M. pustulatus Ramazzotti, 1959 in having much smaller caudal pores (mean of caudal pores 1.8 in the new species and 6.7 in M. pustulatus ) and longer egg processes, and from M. bisoctus Horning, Schuster & Grigarick, 1978 in possessing eyes, smaller pores ( 1.3–1.9 in the new species and 3 in M. bisoctus ), and lack of leg granulation. Unlike M. ethelae , the caudal cuticle of M. harrylewisi sp. n. is not thickened. The new species most closely resembles M. furcatus . The lunules of Leg IV in M. harrylewisi sp. n. are not dentate. The pores of the new species, especially those on the anterior body, are smaller and more rounded. The egg processes in M. harrylewisi sp. n. are twice as long as in M. furcatus , are never bifurcated, and the egg shell is never punctate. Figs 14–16. Minibiotus harrylewisi sp. n. , KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: (14) bucco-pharyngeal apparatus, (15, 16) claws of leg III and leg IV. Scale bars = 20 µm. Fig. 17. Egg of Minibiotus harrylewisi sp. n. , KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Scale bar = 20 µm. Variation: Microplacoid often absent on smallest specimens. Division between the two most anterior and between the two most posterior bands of pores not distinct in some specimens. Holotype : SOUTH AFRICA : KwaZulu-Natal : TPGR , 11.vii.1988 , foliose lichen on Acacia trees, H.A. Meyer , deposited in W.A.K. Seale Museum , Department of Biology and Health Sciences , McNeese State University , Lake Charles , Louisiana, USA (accession number 9349). Paratypes and other material examined: 6 paratypes and 7 eggs , same data as holotype (accession numbers 9340, 9343, 9346, 9349) ; 2 additional eggs, 109 additional specimens, same collection data as holotype ; 1 paratype and 1 egg , same collection data as holotype , deposited in the Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (accession numbers 9347, 9348); 1 cluster of three connected eggs found; 1 embryonated egg found with buccal apparatus and placoids. Distribution: The new species is know from the type locality only. Echiniscus duboisi , Ramazzottius theroni , Macrobiotus iharosi , Minibiotus intermedius , and Milnesium tardigradum were present in the same lichens.