Parastygarctus mediterranicus Gallo D’Addabbo, Grimaldi

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, Bartels, Paul J., Roszkowska, Milena & Nelson, Diane R., 2015, The Zoogeography of Marine Tardigrada, Zootaxa 4037 (1), pp. 1-189 : 136

158. Parastygarctus mediterranicus Gallo D’Addabbo, Grimaldi de Zio & Sandulli, 2001

Parastygarctus mediterranicus n. sp. (D’Addabbo Gallo et al. 2001)

Parastygarctus mediterranicus Gallo D’Addabbo Gallo et al., 2001 (D’Addabbo Gallo et al. 2007) Terra typica: Adriatic Sea (Europe, Italy)

Adriatic Sea:

• 42°06 ′ N, 15°28′E; 3 m bsl: [FAO37] Italy, Foggia Province, Tremiti Islands, southern area of San Domino Island, in the proximity of Punta Zio Cesare, submarine Grotta delle Murene, cave’s entrance, sediments. D’Addabbo Gallo et al. (2001)

• 42°06 ′ N, 15°29′E; 9 m bsl: [FAO37] Type Locality: Italy, Foggia Province, Tremiti Islands, southern area of San Domino Island, in the proximity of Punta Zio Cesare, submarine cave Grotta delle Viole, ca. 10 m from the cave’s entrance, sediments. D’Addabbo Gallo et al. (2001), Grimaldi de Zio et al. (2003)

• 42°06 ′ N, 15°29′E; 7 m bsl: [FAO37] Italy, Foggia Province, Tremiti Islands, southern area of San Domino Island, in the proximity of Punta Zio Cesare, submarine cave Grotta delle Viole, ca. 20 m from the cave’s entrance, sediments. D’Addabbo Gallo et al. (2001), Grimaldi de Zio et al. (2003)

• 42°06 ′ N, 15°29′E; 5 m bsl: [FAO37] Italy, Foggia Province, Tremiti Islands, southern area of San Domino Island, in the proximity of Punta Zio Cesare, submarine cave Grotta delle Viole, internal opening, sediments. D’Addabbo Gallo et al. (2001), Grimaldi de Zio et al. (2003)

Tyrrhenian Sea:

• 40°13′N, 09°38′E; 30 m bsl: [FAO37] Italy, Sardinia, Nuoro Province, Gulf of Orosei, coarse sand. D’Addabbo Gallo et al. (2007)

Record numbers (Sea/Ocean classification): Adriatic Sea: 4, Tyrrhenian Sea: 1; total: 5.

Record numbers (FAO classification): FAO37: 5; total: 5.

Remarks: This species is known only from a few Adriatic cave localities and a non-cave subtidal locality in the Gulf of Orosei. Based on this distribution and lack of reports from the large number of studies in the Mediterranean basin, we suspect that this species has specific ecological requirements typical for troglobionts or deep sea species (similar to P. mirabilis and P. rugosus , see remarks for P. mirabilis ). However, further studies are required to confirm this hypothesis.