Milnesium berladnicorum, Ciobanu, Daniel Adrian, Zawierucha, Krzysztof, Moglan, Ioan & Kaczmarek, Lukasz, 2014

Ciobanu, Daniel Adrian, Zawierucha, Krzysztof, Moglan, Ioan & Kaczmarek, Lukasz, 2014, Milnesium berladnicorum sp. n. (Eutardigrada, Apochela, Milnesiidae), a new species of water bear from Romania, ZooKeys 429, pp. 1-11 : 3-6

Taxon classification Animalia Apochela Milnesiidae

Milnesium berladnicorum sp. n. Figs 1-6, Table 1

Material examined.

Holotype (female), 52 paratypes and 2 exuvia with 7 and 9 smooth eggs.

Description

(measurements and statistics in Table 1). Body brownish (in live specimens) or transparent (in fixed specimens) with eyes (visible before and after mounting in Hoyer’s medium - 90% of fixed specimens had eyes). Six peribuccal papillae (ventral papilla smallest) and six peribuccal lamellae (of equal size) around the mouth opening present. Two cephalic papillae positioned laterally. The cuticle is covered with numerous tiny, shallow and rounded depressions (pseudopores) (Figs 4-5). Under PCM these pseudopores are visible as light spots, placing the species within the granulatum group. Bucco-pharyngeal apparatus of the Milnesium type (Fig. 6). Buccal tube funnel-shaped, wider anteriorly (on average the posterior diameter is 73% of the anterior diameter). Pharyngeal bulb elongated, pear-shaped and without placoids or septulum. Claws of the Milnesium type, slender (Figs 2-3). Primary branches on all legs with small accessory points on the top of the branch. Secondary claws of all legs with rounded basal thickenings (lunules) (sometimes barely visible) (Fig. 3). Secondary branches of external claws I–III and posterior and anterior claws IV with two points. Secondary branches of internal claws I–III with three points (i.e. claw configuration: [2-3]-[2-2]) (Figs 2-3). Single, long transverse, cuticular bars under claws I–III present (Fig. 2).

Eggs.

Smooth, deposited in exuvia.

No males were found.

Locus typicus.

46° 14.74167N, 27° 40.27333E; 99 m asl: Romania, Vaslui County, Bârlad town, coppice, lichens ( Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th. Fr. (1860)) from tree.

Etymology.

This new species is named after the Berladnici, an ancient population with a controversial origin (most probably Slavs) who previously lived in the area of the present Bârlad town.

Type depositories.

Holotype (female; slide: P8-8) and 29 paratypes (females) and 1 exuvium with eggs (slides: P8-4, P8-5, P8-6, P8-9, P8-13, P8-14, P8-15, P8-17, P8-19) are preserved at the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, A. Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland. Additionally, 14 paratypes (females) and 1 exuvium with eggs (slides: P8-1, P8-3, P8-16, P8-18) are deposited at Natural History Museum of "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University from Iași (Bd. Independentei No.16, 700101), 4 paratypes (females; slides: P8-7, P8-12) are deposited at collection of Binda and Pilato (Museum of the Department of Animal Biology "Marcello La Greca", University of Catania, Italy) and 5 paratypes (females; slides: P8-2, P8-10, P8-11) are deposited at the Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.