Mesobiotus harmsworthi Murray, 1907c, 2017

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, 2017, Annotated zoogeography of non-marine Tardigrada. Part IV: Africa, Zootaxa 4284 (1), pp. 1-74 : 49-50

141. Mesobiotus harmsworthi Murray, 1907c sensu lato [T]

M. echinogenitus Richters (Murray 1907a)

M. harmsworthi Murray (Murray 1913)

Macrobiotus harmsworthi Murray ( Pardi 1941)

Macrobiotus harmsvorthi ( Ramløv & Kristensen 1985)

Terra typica: Franz Joseph Land (Russia, Barents Sea)

Algeria:

• 36°53′N, 07°39′E; 800 m asl: Annaba Province, Massif of Eldough [ Edough Mountains ] . Binda & Pilato (1987) • 36°40′N, 04°36′E; 1,400 m asl: Tizi Ouzou Province, Akfadou Forest . Binda & Pilato (1987) • 36°38′N, 05°45′E; 1,200 m asl: Jijel Province, M’Sid-Ech-Cheta (Texenna Pass). Binda & Pilato (1987) • 36°28′N, 04°14′E; 1,700 m asl: Tizi Ouzou Province, Massif of Djurdjura (Assouille depression). Binda & Pilato (1987) Ethiopia:

• 04°03′N, 38°19′E; 1,700 m asl: Oromia Region, Mēga, former English residence, moss ( Pleurochaete sp.) on tree

( Juniperus procera). Pardi (1941)

Libya:

• 32°29′N, 20°50′E; 350 m asl: Marj District, Barce [Marj], moss. Pilato & Pennisi (1976)

Morocco:

• 32°25′N, 05°13′W; 1,750 m asl: Meknès-Tafilalet Region, S of Azrou , cedar forest, moss on limestone boulders in the forest glade. Ramløv & Kristensen (1985)

Republic of South Africa:

• 29°44′S, 22°44′E: Undefined locality, Cape Colony [Cape Province]. Murray (1907a), Marcus (1928)

Uganda:

• 01°22′N, 32°17′E: Undefined locality. Murray (1913)

Record numbers. Algeria: 4, Ethiopia: 1, Libya: 1, Morocco: 1, Republic of South Africa: 1, Uganda: 1; total: 9.

Remarks. While Mesobiotus harmsworthi sensu lato has a cosmopolitan distribution ( McInnes 1994), we think the presence of M. harmsworthi sensu stricto in Africa is questionable. Originally described from Zemlya Frantsa- Iosifa in Arctic Russia ( Murray 1907c), M. harmsworthi is now considered a species group, with a number of very similar species (all requiring careful taxonomic analysis of adults and egg morphology—see Kaczmarek et al. 2011 for diagnostic key). This is particularly emphasised by the presence of taxa reported from Africa (e.g. M. diffusus , M. nuragicus , etc.).