Calohypsibius ornatus ( Richters, 1900 ) sensu

Kaczmarek, Łukasz, Michalczyk, Łukasz & Mcinnes, Sandra J., 2015, Annotated zoogeography of non-marine Tardigrada. Part II: South America, Zootaxa 3923 (1), pp. 1-107 : 35-36

79. Calohypsibius ornatus ( Richters, 1900) sensu lato [T]

Macrobiotus ornatus Richters ( Heinis 1914)

Hypsibius (C.) ornatus ( Mihelčič 1967)

H. (C.) ornatus ( Mihelčič 1972)

Terra typica: Ireland (Europe)

Argentina:

• 41°12′S, 71°50′W; 1,000 m asl: Rio Negro Province, Rio Negro Province, Tronador (Ventisqueros) [Ventisquero Negro del Cerro Tronador], lichens on single, trees in full sun. Mihelčič (1967)

• Undefined localities cited according Mihelčič (1967), dry mosses and lichens on rocks in full sun. Mihelčič (1972) Bolivia:

• 16°20′S, 68°23′W; 4,650–4,700m asl: La Paz, Cordillera de la Real de los Andes, La Cumbre, subnival floor, cushion moss. Garitano-Zavala (1995, 1996)

Colombia:

• 04°35′N, 74°02′W; 3,300 m asl: Bogota Department, Páramo Cruz Verde, moss ( Sphagnum sp.) mud. Heinis (1914)

Record numbers: Argentina: 2, Bolivia: 1, Colombia: 1; total: 4.

Remarks: This species often occurs rarely and in small numbers and has been reported with extremely high levels of intra-specific variation and a wide geographic range (i.e. numerous mainly Holarctic localities with single localities in other zoogeographical regions, Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983, McInnes 1994a). However, these properties are also symptomatic of a species complex, so we suggest this species requires integrative taxonomy (molecular and morphology) to establish the species sensu stricto and validity of South American examples.