Paramacrobiotus areolatus ( Murray, 1907c ), 2017

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, 2017, Annotated zoogeography of non-marine Tardigrada. Part IV: Africa, Zootaxa 4284 (1), pp. 1-74 : 54

156. Paramacrobiotus areolatus ( Murray, 1907c) sensu lato [T]

Macrobiotus areolatus Murray, 1907 (Binda 1984, Binda & Pilato 1987)

Paramacrobiotus cf. areolatus (Murray, 1907) ? ( Gąsiorek et al. 2017)

Terra typica : Svalbard (Spitsbergen)

Algeria:

• 36°40′N, 04°36′E; 1,400 m asl: Tizi Ouzou Province, Akfadou Forest. Binda & Pilato (1987)

Mozambique:

• 23°52′S, 35°23′E; 0 m asl: Inhambene Province , Inhambene, moss. Binda (1984)

Tunisia:

• 37°10'46''N, 10°15'11''E; 120 m asl: Bizerte Governorate, Raf Raf , forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°53'57''N, 10°18'19''E; 67 m asl: Tunis Governorate, Gammarth , rural, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°46'30''N, 08°44'23''E; 636 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°47'51''N, 08°52'24''E; 590 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°45'59''N, 08°47'52''E; 561 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°44'20''N, 08°43'43''E; 511 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°44'13''N, 08°40'59''E; 765 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°43'45''N, 08°44'11''E; 373 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°43'43''N, 08°40'50''E; 742 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°43'20''N, 08°40'58''E; 668 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°43'19''N, 08°43'30''E; 474 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°42'48''N, 08°43'30''E; 371 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

• 36°42'10''N, 08°40'46''E; 462 m asl: Jendouba Governorate, Beni M'tir, forest, moss on soil. Gąsiorek et al. (2017)

Record numbers. Algeria: 1, Mozambique: 1, Tunisia: 13; total: 15.

Remarks. The genus Paramacrobiotus (until recently a species-group within Macrobiotus ) has been divided into richtersi and areolatus (with and without macroplacoid, respectively) species groups. Paramacrobiotus areolatus , once considered cosmopolitan ( McInnes 1994), is now recognised as the nominal species for a group of very similar taxa that require careful taxonomic examination of adults and egg morphology for correct identification. A few new (including African) species of the areolatus group (e.g. Michalczyk & Kaczmarek 2006b, Degma et al. 2008, Kaczmarek et al. 2014b). Both Richters (1908) and Binda (1984) predate the taxonomic changes and failed to find eggs, essential for correct species identification. This, in conjunction with P. areolatus being originally described from the Arctic, implies all African records should be treated with caution until relevant examples are re-examined or new African material is confirmed.