Bertolanius weglarskae ( Dastych, 1972 )

Trygvadóttir, Birna Vár & Kristensen, Reinhardt Møbjerg, 2011, Eohypsibiidae (Eutardigrada, Tardigrada) from the Faroe Islands with the description of a new genus containing three new species, Zootaxa 2886, pp. 39-62 : 42-44

Bertolanius weglarskae ( Dastych, 1972)

( Figure 2 A–E)

Locality. Streymoy: “Sornfelli”, spring with Mniumbryum sp. 4.6ºC, altitude 560 m; “Við Áir”, homothermic spring 12ºC, altitude 50 m (sample collected in 1981 and again in 2001: temp. 11.2ºC, moss and vegetation, probably further downstream). Eysturoy: “Varmakelda”, homothermic spring, 18ºC, altitude 15 m. In vicinity of “Varmakelda”, moss in rivulet, altitude 73 m. Summit of Vaðhorn, moss and lichen, altitude 726 m. Vágoy: “Oyrargjógv”, wet moss on cliffside, altitude 5 m.

Specific diagnosis. Body length 600–650 µm (two specimens measured)—much larger than the type material from Tatra Mountains. Small black eyes present. The trumpet-shaped buccal tube ( Figs. 2 B and D) rather short and wide (63 µm long and 15 µm wide, in animal of 650 µm). Buccal cavity with a broad band (2nd band) of 5–6 rows of infrabuccal teeth (mucrones or rounded teeth) and a single row (3rd band) of infrabuccal teeth or ridges (infrabuccal baffles or transverse ridges). First band of infrabuccal teeth, absent. Large triangular apophyses in the pharyngeal bulb ( Figs. 2 B and D). Three macroplacoids present, first and second joined, total length 25 µm, third macroplacoid 13 µm long. Microplacoid absent ( Figs. 2 B and D). Claws of the Eohypsibiidae type ( Fig. 2 C).

Lunules at the base of all claws, two cuticular bars present ( Fig. 2 C) beneath the claws of legs I-III, an accessory cuticular bar close to the internal claws of legs II and III. Yellow eggs laid free, range in diameter from 75–138 µm without the projections ( Fig. 2 E). The projections are enveloped in a hyaline layer, of pentamer appearance, producing on the surface a regular reticular network, with wide mesh.

Remarks. Except for the large size, the Faroese specimens of B. weglarskae fit the description of the type material from Poland ( Dastych 1972) and the re-description of the species based on the Greenlandic specimens ( Hansen & Katholm 2002). Brown cysts were found in “Við Áir” homothermic spring and on the summit of Vaðhorn. The species has been collected from Iceland ( Marley & Wright 1996), Svalbard ( Coulson & Refseth 2004) and has a mainly northern Holarctic distribution (McInnes, pers. comm.).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Bertolanius weglarskae (LM). A: habitus (scale bar 200 µm). B: bucco-pharyngeal apparatus in ventro-lateral view. C: claws on leg I – II. D: buccal tube and pharynx, ventral view. E: egg (B – E scale bars 50 µm). Polyvinyl lactophenol preparation.