Batillipes bullacaudatus McGinty & Higgins, 1968

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, Bartels, Paul J., Roszkowska, Milena & Nelson, Diane R., 2015, The Zoogeography of Marine Tardigrada, Zootaxa 4037 (1), pp. 1-189 : 12

9. Batillipes bullacaudatus McGinty & Higgins, 1968

Batillipes bullacaudatus n. sp. ( McGinty & Higgins 1968)

B. bullacaudatus McGinty & Higgins ( McIntyre & Murison 1973)

Batillipes cf. bullacaudatus McGinty & Higgins, 1968 ( Willems et al. 2009)

Terra typica : Atlantic Ocean ( USA, North America)

Atlantic Ocean:

• 57°50′N, 05°41′W; mid-tide level to 2 m bsl: [FAO27] UK, Scotland, Highland County, Loch Ewe, Firemore Bay, flatfish nursery ground, small pocket beach, beach or subtidal zone, 4–16 cm deep in sand, sand. McIntyre & Murison (1973)

• 55°35′N, 04°40′W; 0 m bsl: [FAO27] UK, North Ayrshire County, Scotland, Clyde Sea, Irvine, intertidal. Morgan & Lampard (1986a)

• 41°31′41′′N, 70°40′41′′W; 0 m bsl: [FAO21] USA, Massachusetts State, Barnstable County, Buzzard’s Bay, the neck connecting Woods Hole and Penzance Point, Crane’s Beach, 14 – 80 cm deep in sand, sand. Pollock (1970a, b, 1975a)

• 37°12′N, 76°32′W [37°15′N, 76°32′W]; 0–20 cm / 0–0.2 m bsl: [FAO21] Type locality: USA, Virginia State, York County, estuary of Chesapeake Bay, ca. 2.83 km W of Yorktown, sand spit located in the York River, Sandy Point (Indian Field Creek), mid- to high tide, medium to coarse sand and shell beach. McGinty & Higgins (1968)

• 34°41′30′′N, 76°50′00′′W; 0 m bsl: [FAO31] USA, North Carolina State, Carteret County, Bogue Bank, near Morehead City, ocean side, 30 and 60 cm deep in sand, salinity (34–36‰), sand (0.2–0.5 mm). Lindgren (1971)

• 28°40′N, 80°38′W; 0 m bsl: [FAO31] USA, Florida State, Brevard County, Atlantic coast, Playalinda beach, sample from the vertical wall of the excavation from the beach surface to the depth of the water. McKirdy (1975)

• 27°30.0′N, 80°17.0′W / 27°30′N, 80°17′W; depth not indicated: [FAO31] USA, Florida State, St. Lucie County, 8.4 km E of North Hutchinson Island, near Fort Pierce, sea sediment. Marchioro et al. (2013)

North Sea:

• 58°52′20.16′′N, 11°08′20.22′′E; 0.5 m bsl: [FAO27] Sweden, Västra Götaland County, Tjärnö area, Salt, outside the tidal zone, well-sorted quartz sand. Willems et al. (2009)

Record numbers (Sea/Ocean classification): Atlantic Ocean:7, North Sea: 1; total: 8.

Record numbers (FAO classification): FAO21: 2, FAO27: 3, FAO31: 3; total: 8.

Remarks: This species is known mostly from the North American coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The two records from the Atlantic coast of the UK and one uncertain record from the North Sea (based on a larval specimen and reported as cf.) need to be confirmed, as early development stages and adults of Batillipes species are very similar and a large intraspecific variability has also been observed in this genus (see remarks for B. gilmartini ). This species has been found mainly in sand (to a depth of 80 cm) in the intertidal zone.