Echiniscus scabrospinosus Fontoura, 1982

Gąsiorek, Piotr & Vončina, Katarzyna, 2023, Atlas of the Echiniscidae (Heterotardigrada) of the World-part I: West Palaearctic Echiniscus species, Zootaxa 5344 (1), pp. 1-72 : 43-46

16. Echiniscus scabrospinosus Fontoura, 1982

Figures 26–27

Terra typica : Portugal, Serra do Buçaco.

Additional localities: (1) Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Region, Marangu ( Binda & Pilato 1995); (2) Portugal, the Azores, Faial Island, Miradouro da Praia Norte ( Fontoura et al. 2008); (3) 38°41’32’’N, 9°25’18’’W, 16 m asl: Portugal, Cascais ( Gąsiorek et al. 2019b); (4) a number of records from South Africa ( Gąsiorek et al. 2022); (5) 32°44’06”N, 16°53’10”W, 900 m asl: Madeira, Ribeiro Frio, lichens from rock in laurel forest, Dorota Lachowska-Cierlik coll. on 20 th September 2021 (2 ♀♀).

Etymology: From Latin scaber = rough/scabrous + spinosus = spiny, stressing the delicate serration of spines Dd and E. An adjective in nominative singular.

Shortened description. Small to medium-sized (ca. 170–250 μm). Body appendage configuration A-C-D-Dd- E, with frequent asymmetries. Spine Dd usually the longest among all spines. Spines Dd and E may be serrated (see Gąsiorek et al. 2022) or smooth ( Fig. 26 ). Dorsal plate sculpturing of the spinulosus type, with large pores containing dark intracuticular rings ( Fig. 27A , black arrowheads). Caudal plate often with epicuticular ridges forming faceting ( Figs 26 , 27A , white arrowheads). Dentate collar IV with numerous (usually more than 10) short teeth. Claws small, with minute, needle-like primary spurs closely positioned to claw bases ( Fig. 26A , insert). Larvae with reduced chaetotaxy, their body appendage formula: A-(E), where spines E are frequently missing ( Fig. 27B ). Anterior portions of pI–II, m2, and the entire m3 with poorly developed sculpturing.

Phylogenetic position: The sister species of E. oreas Gąsiorek et al., 2022 (Figs 1–2) within the spinulosus morphogroup.

Remarks: This species has a broad geographic distribution extending from the South-Western Palaearctic to the southernmost localities in the Afrotropical region ( Gąsiorek et al. 2022). The species is quite variable and was confused in the past with other species from completely unrelated clades of Echiniscus ( Pilato et al. 2008) .

Figures

FIGURE 26. Echiniscus scabrospinosus from Portugal (females) A—dorsolateral view (PCM), B—dorsal view (SEM). Insert shows claws II. Scale bars in μm.

FIGURE 27. Echiniscus scabrospinosus from Portugal (PCM): A—dorsal plate sculpturing (close-up of the specimen from Figure 26A), B—larva. Black arrowheads indicate dark intracuticular rings, and white arrowheads indicate epicuticular ridges on the caudal plate. Scale bars = 20 μm.