Tardigrades of North Carolina
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Comments
Scientific Name:
Family:
BATILLIPEDIDAE
CALOHYPSIBIIDAE
DORYPHORIBIIDAE
ECHINISCIDAE
EOHYPSIBIIDAE
HALECHINISCIDAE
HYPSIBIIDAE
ISOHYPSIBIIDAE
ITAQUASCONIDAE
MACROBIOTIDAE
MICROHYPSIBIIDAE
MILNESIIDAE
MURRAYIDAE
PILATOBIIDAE
RAMAZZOTTIIDAE
RICHTERSIUSIDAE
STYGARCTIDAE
STYRACONYXIDAE
TANARCTIDAE
Order:
APOCHELA
"ARTHROTARDIGRADES"
ECHINISCOIDEA
PARACHELA
Class:
Heterotardigrada
Eutardigrada
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Hypsibiidae Members:
Diphascon higginsi
Diphascon nobilei
Diphascon pingue
Diphascon pinguiforme
Diphascon stappersi
Hypsibius convergens
Hypsibius microps
Hypsibius n. species
Hypsibius n. species (aff. dujardini)
Hypsibius pallidus
Hypsibius roanensis
Mixibius n. species
Mixibius saracenus
4 NC Records
Diphascon nobilei
(Binda, 1969) - No Common Name
Habitus, DIC
Taxonomy
Class:
Eutardigrada
Order:
Parachela
Family:
Hypsibiidae
Subfamily:
Diphasconinae
Checklist Number:
1170.0
Synonym:
Diphascon nobile (sic) (see Bartels et al. 2021)
Taxonomic Comments:
Morphologically indistinguishable from species first described from Italy. No molecular evidence for further comparisons. Family designation follows Tumanov & Tsvetkova (2023).
Species Notes:
Terrestrial. In USA, only reported from Smokies.
Identification
Online resources:
Online Photographs:
Google
,
GBIF
Species Description:
Length 188-390 µm, colorless, cuticle smooth, eye spots present. The buccal tube presents the “drop” formation, while the flexible pharyngeal tube is a little shorter than the pharynx, slender, with diameter about 2 µm. Pharynx elongated, with length:width ratio of 1.8:1, containing the apophyses and 3 macroplacoids (rods), of which the 2nd is shorted and the 3rd longest (caudally terminated in the swelling). Microplacoid present. Legs short, with doubleclaws of different shape and size: the external doubleclaw, robust, has the principal branch inserted about the middle of the basal claw; the internal doubleclaw, also robust, is smaller and the two branches form between them a greater angle than in the external doubleclaw. The basal part of the doubleclaw - especially on the 4th pair of legs - is robust, considerably expanded in the proximal part and presents robust teeth: they are, these, unusual characteristics in Diphascon, which renders the species then easily identifiable. the principal branches of all the doubleclaws bear obvious accessory points; also close to the base of the internal doubleclaws exists - on the first three pair of legs - a smooth cuticular bar, about 6 µm long. D. nobilei was observed in moss form coastal dunes of Gela (Sicily) and of Pietra Cannone (region of Etna, Sicily).
- Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
Length 205 µm. The body is white with light-brown pigment. Cuticle smooth. No eyes. Mouth and pharyngeal tube 57 µm long, 2 µm wide and with a prominent drop-shaped structure between them. Mouth tube length 22 µm. Pharynx oval (30 x 17 µm)with distinct apophyses, three elongated macroplacoids and a microplacoid (Fig. 127E, PL. XXXa). The second macroplacoid is the shortest. The length of macroplacoids : 1st - 3.8 µm, 2nd - 3 µm, 3rd - 5.5 µm; their width 1 µm. At the bases of inner claws of 1-3 pairs of legs there occur cuticular bars (Fig. 127F, Pl. XXXb), but no bars are developed between the bases of inner and outer claws on these legs; however, very small bar was noticed (?) between the claws of the 4th pair. Claws with small accessory spines. The outer claw bases of 4th pair are very broad and provided with very tiny teeth (Fig. 127G); these teeth are developed also at the inner claw bases of the 4th pair. At the claw bases on the other legs such teeth were not observed. The length of outer claw of the 4th pair 9µm, its main branch is about 6.5 µm long. No eggs were found. Species known in Poland only from one lowland locality and on specimen (Fig. 118). Apart from southern Europe it was recorded from Australia (Pilato & D’Urso, 1976).
- Dastych 1988
Body Length:
up to 390 microns.
Key Characters:
Three rows of macroplacoids, microplacoid, but no septulum. 2nd macroplacoid slightly shorter than first, third macroplacoid longest.
Key Character Images
Buccal apparatus drawing Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
ID Requirements:
Identifiable only by close inspection of key characters or by DNA analysis.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map:
Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Dates:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)
Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Soil, also moss.
Abundance:
Very rare. This species makes up 0.07% of terrestrial specimens collected in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Bartels' inventory.
Diet:
Microbivore.
Reproduction:
Smooth eggs laid in shed exuvium.
Observation Methods:
PC, DIC microscopy.
Wikipedia
Photo Gallery for
Diphascon nobilei
- No common name
Photos: 9
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Buccal apparatus drawing Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Habitus, DIC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Claws from Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Habitus drawing Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Buccal apparatus, PC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Claws III,PC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Claws IV, PC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Claws IV, DIC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Buccal apparatus, DIC