Minibiotus hufelandioides ( Murray, 1910 )

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, 2017, Annotated zoogeography of non-marine Tardigrada. Part IV: Africa, Zootaxa 4284 (1), pp. 1-74 : 53

154. Minibiotus hufelandioides ( Murray, 1910) [T]

Macrobiotus hufelandioides Murray (?), Macrobiotus hufelandioides Murray (Murray 1913) Macrobiotus hufelandioides Murray, 1910 ( Van Rompu et al. 1991a)

Terra typica : Australia

Kenya:

• 00°01′S, 37°54′E: Undefined locality, British East Africa [ Kenya], moss. Murray (1913)

Republic of South Africa:

• 23°50′S, 29°59′E; 1,450 m asl: North Transvaal [Limpopo Province], Woodbush [Woodbush Forest Reserve]. Murray (1913)

Tanzania:

• 03°17′S, 37°31′E; ca. 1,500 m asl: Kilimanjaro Region, Kilimanjaro National Park, Marangu gate, rain forest, below tree line, river, pH 5.5, water temperature 12°C, benthos sample . Van Rompu et al. (1991a)

Uganda:

• 01°22′N, 32°17′E: Undefined locality, moss. Murray (1913)

Record numbers. Kenya: 1, Republic of South Africa: 1, Tanzania: 1, Uganda: 1; total: 4.

Remarks. Known from several disjunct localities ( McInnes 1994) suggesting a species complex. Murray (1913) described several differences between his African samples and those from the type locale ( Australia) concluding that the African examples were, “possibly a distinct species”. These comments and more recently described African conspecifics suggests the presence of this taxon in Africa needs confirmation.