Macrobiotus areolatus Murray 1907

Guil, Noemí, 2008, New records and within-species variability of Iberian tardigrades (Tardigrada), with comments on the species from the Echiniscus blumi-canadensis series, Zootaxa 1757, pp. 1-30 : 19

Macrobiotus areolatus Murray 1907

The 29 specimens examined had visible buccal armature (several rows of small teeth at the anterior band, one row of triangular-shaped teeth at the posterior band, and a transversal crest system composed of three ventral and three dorsal), more or less visible depending on the position of the specimen. Three rod-shaped macroplacoids were present, third macroplacoid longest, and second macroplacoid shortest. Microplacoid, when present, was very small. Besides, we detected lunules with smooth and irregular margins (maybe very small teeth); one of the samples contained specimens with the two types of lunules. I have observed ocular spots in 20 specimens. I counted between 12 and 21 processes per hemisphere from the 23 eggs examined and 9 or 10 polygonal areas around each process. Body size range was 440 to 1188 μm, mean 745 μm (SD 141). The species is considered cosmopolitan ( McInnes 1994). In the Iberian Peninsula, it has been recorded for Spain ( Rodríguez Roda 1952; Maucci & Durante Pasa 1984) and Portugal ( Da Cunha 1941; Fontoura 1982; Maucci & Durante Pasa 1984, 1985). This is the first time it is found for Madrid ( Table 2 ). Macrobiotus areolatus appeared at four sampling points (Table 3) in LF and MR samples.