Thulinius cf. saltursus

Bertolani, Roberto, Bartels, Paul J., Guidetti, Roberto, Cesari, Michele & Nelson, Diane R., 2014, Aquatic tardigrades in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee, U. S. A., with the description of a new species of Thulinius (Tardigrada, Isohypsibiidae), Zootaxa 3764 (5), pp. 524-536 : 527-528

Thulinius cf. saltursus

Sampling localities: Five specimens from sediment and periphyton in Caldwell Fork, North Carolina (813 m asl, N 35° 37.5813, W 83° 5.3610) and four specimens in sediment from Cataloochee Creek, North Carolina (788 m asl, N 35° 38.2405, W 83° 4.9303).

The specimens were compared with the type material of both Thulinius saltursus ( Schuster, Toftner & Grigarick, 1978) (a species previously attributed to Isohypsibius in Schuster et al. 1978) and Thulinius ruffoi (Bertolani, 1981) and look similar to both species. The buccal armature is typical of the genus and similarly the macroplacoids are rod-shaped and there are no microplacoids. The basal portions on all claws are normally developed and slender. A lunule appears to be present only at the base of the external (posterior) claw (as in T.

saltursus , whereas T. ruffoi has lunules on all claws), but it is not always possible to determine the presence or absence of a lunule. In any case, currently this is the only character that distinguishes the two species and for this reason we tentatively attribute our specimens from North Carolina to T. cf. saltursus .