Echiniscoides sigismundi (M. Schultze, 1865)

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, 2017, Annotated zoogeography of non-marine Tardigrada. Part IV: Africa, Zootaxa 4284 (1), pp. 1-74 : 8

1. Echiniscoides sigismundi (M. Schultze, 1865) sensu lato

Terra typica : North Sea ( Belgium, Europe)

Democratic Republic of Congo:

• 00°47′S, 29°18′E; 1,000 m asl: South Kivu Province, Albert National Park [Virunga National Park], Rwindi , soil sample. Teunissen (1938)

Record numbers. Democratic Republic of Congo: 1; total: 1.

Remarks. This is an unusual report of a coastal marine genus that was described from an inland soil environment. The description of 12 females, one male and 19 juveniles plus eggs suggests this is a valid identification. Whether the original samples were the result of contaminated sampling gear or this species truly occurs within the African Rift, requires further exploration.