New Echiniscidae (Heterotardigrada) from Amber Mountain (Northern Madagascar)

By

Gąsiorek, Piotr
Vončina, Katarzyna

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019-5-16

Original Publication

Evolutionary systematics

Volume

3

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

29--39

Subjects

appendages cuticle , Echiniscus africanus , morphology pores , spinulosus group , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Hamburg Centrum für Naturkunde (CeNak) 2017-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.3.33580

 

Abstract

A moss sample from the local biodiversity hotspot in lowland rainforest in the vicinity of Amber Mountain, Madagascar, yielded the discovery of twoEchiniscusC.A.S. Schultze, 1840 species, of which one is new to science.Echiniscussuccineussp. nov.is related to other members of thespinulosusgroup, but differs from them by the highly complicated structure of the dorsal plates, with intricately thickened parts of the armour forming ornamented pattern. The validity of the intraporal dark rings as a taxonomic trait is discussed in the context of the recovered intraspecific variability for the new taxon. Besides, rareEchiniscusafricanusMurray, 1907 is reported for the first time from the island.