Calcarobiotus hainanensis, Li & Wang & Wang, 2008

Li, Xiao-Chen, Wang, Da-Yong & Wang, Li-Zhi, 2008, The Tardigrada Fauna Of Hainan Island (Asia: China) With Descriptions Of Two New Species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 56 (2), pp. 293-305 : 296-298

Calcarobiotus hainanensis , new species

( Figs. 2–10 , Table 2)

Material examined. – Holotype (Slide number: Hi0704001) and 3 paratypes (Slide numbers: Hi0704001–004) from Five-Finger

Mountain (18°52.920'N 109°39.698'E) at 1,200 m a.s.l., coll. Xiao-Chen Li, Da-Yong Wang & Li-Zhi Wang, 16 Apr.2007. All specimens were mounted in Hoyer’s medium.

Description of holotype. – Colourless. Eyes present. Cuticle smooth without pores ( Fig. 2 ). Bucco-pharyngeal apparatus of Macrobiotus type ( Figs. 3 , 8 ). Buccal tube with well-

developed bend in anterior portion. Mouth antero-ventral with 10 peribuccal lamellae. Oral cavity armature well developed and composed of three bands of teeth. First band of teeth near the peribuccal lamellae in irregular granules. Second band of teeth in shape of a row of small ridges parallel to the main axis of the buccal tube. Third band of teeth in transversal crests. Pharyngeal bulb spherical (Table 2) with apophyses, three macroplacoids and large microplacoid. Pharyngeal apophyses upside-down triangle-shaped. First macroplacoid, drop-shaped, longer than the second one, becomes narrower in anterior part; second oval; third rod-shaped, the longest, with subterminal constriction ( Figs. 3 , 8 ).

Claws of Calcarobiotus type (according to Guidetti & Bertolani, 2001), well-developed on all legs. Lateral spurs on claw basal portion present on the first three pair of legs. Primary branches with strong accessory points. Lunules smooth on first three pair of legs but distinctly dentate on leg IV (each lunulae with 7–8 teeth). Long transversal cuticular bars present below claws of legs I–III ( Figs. 4–6 , 9–10 ).

Eggs unknown.

Etymology. – The name hainanensis refers to Hainan Province where this species has been found.

Remarks. – Measurements of all found specimens are given in Table 2.

Differential diagnosis. – This new species belongs to the subgenus Calcarobiotus . It is similar to Calcarobiotus (Calcarobiotus) digeronimoi Pilato, Binda & Lisi, 2004 , but differs from the latter by having dentate lunules of the claws on hind legs, by the first macroplacoid being dropshaped instead of rod-shaped, by the first macroplacoid being shorter than the third, by larger body size, and by relatively shorter buccal tube length. It differs from Calcarobiotus imperialis Abe & Takeda, 2000 , mainly by lacking the lateral spurs on claw basal portion of the hind legs, by longer third macroplacoid, and by rounded pharynx instead of elliptical.

Figures

Figs. 2–6. Calcarobiotus hainanensis, new species (holotype): 2, habitus; 3, buccal apparatus; 4, claws on third pair of legs; 5, claws on fourth pair of legs focused to show the branches; 6, claws on fourth pair of legs focused to show the dentate lunules. Fig. 2: scale bar = 50µm; Figs. 3–6: scale bars = 10 µm.

Figs. 7–10. Calcarobiotus hainanensis, new species (holotype): 7, habitus; 8, buccal apparatus; 9, claws on third pair of legs; 10, claws on fourth pair of legs. Fig. 7: scale bar = 50µm; Figs. 8–10: scale bars = 10 µm.