Minibiotus harrylewisi, Meyer & Hinton, 2009

Meyer, Harry A. & Hinton, Juliana G., 2009, The Tardigrada of southern Africa, with the description of Minibiotus harrylewisi, a new species from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae), African Invertebrates 50 (2), pp. 255-255 : 261-266

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5733/afin.050.0203
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0389BA16-FFD9-FFC7-FE43-B94EB6A51B51
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Minibiotus harrylewisi
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Minibiotus harrylewisi View in CoL sp. n.

Figs 8–17 View Figs 8–10 View Figs 11–13 View Figs 14–16 View Fig ; 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 View Figs 8–10 , 11– 13 View Figs 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 View Figs 11–13 ) than on anterior half ( Fig. 12 View Figs 11–13 ) (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 View Figs 11–13 ) 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 View Figs 14–16 ), with double curvature ( Fig. 14 View Figs 14–16 ). 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 View Figs 14–16 ). Leg IV pb with bc 9.3 [33.0] in length, sb 6.6 [23.7] ( Fig. 16 View Figs 14–16 ).

Eggs white/colourless, laid freely, with smooth surface ( Fig. 17 View Fig ), 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.

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.