Macrobiotus occidentalis Murray, 1910 sensu

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, Michalczyk, Łukasz & Mcinnes, Sandra J., 2015, Annotated zoogeography of non-marine Tardigrada. Part II: South America, Zootaxa 3923 (1), pp. 1-107 : 73

173. Macrobiotus occidentalis Murray, 1910 sensu lato [T]

Macrobiotus occidentalis Murray (Murray & Wailes 1913)

Macrobiotus occidentalis J. Murr. ( Iharos 1963)

Macrobiotus cf. occidentalis John Murr., 1910 ( Jerez & Narváez 2001) Terra typica: British Columbia ( Canada, North America)

Argentina:

• 41°58′S, 71°29′W; 1,170 m asl: Rio Negro Province, El Bolsón, Piltriquitron Mt., mosses on bases and barks of trees in Nothofagus pumilio forest. Iharos (1963)

• 41°59′S, 71°31′W; 360 m asl: Rio Negro Province, El Bolsón, foot of Piltriquitron Mt., mosses under saxicolous plants on the extremely arid cliffs of promontory. Iharos (1963)

Brazil:

• 09°50′S, 50°58′W: Undefined locality in Brazil. Murray & Wailes (1913)

Colombia:

• 07°07′N, 73°02′W; 1,970–2,010 m asl: Santander Department, El Diviso Natural Reserve, Pine forest ( Pinus patula ) and secondary forest, mosses ( Lyperodon tomentosus and Sematophyllum insularum ). Jerez & Narváez (2001)

Peru:

• 14°19′S, 69°28′W; 7,000 ft asl/ 2,200 m asl: Puno Region, Sandia. Murray & Wailes (1913)

Record numbers: Argentina: 2, Brazil: 1, Colombia: 1, Peru: 1; total: 5.

Remarks: Macrobiotus occidentalis sensu lato has a largely Holarctic distribution ( McInnes 1994a) but with some southern hemisphere reports, which suggests a possible species complex. The South American record requires verification.