Tardigrades of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
 Family:
Order:
Class:
« »
View PDFHypsibiidae Members: 41 NC Records

Diphascon pinguiforme Pilato & Binda, 1997/98 - No Common Name


Habitus, DIC
Taxonomy
Class: EutardigradaOrder: Parachela Family: HypsibiidaeSubfamily: Diphasconinae Checklist Number: 1190.0 Synonym: Diphascon pingue, Diphascon pingue pingue (see Bartels et al. 2021)
Taxonomic Comments: Morphologically matches species originally described from Italy, no molecular evidence for further comparisons. Family designation follows Tumanov & Tsvetkova (2023).
Species Notes: Terrestrial. No other US records.
Identification
Online resources:Online Photographs: Google, GBIF                                                                                 
Species Description: Body length up to 190 µm; eyes absent, cuticle smooth. In the holotype, 190 µm long, the bucco-pharyngeal tube is 51.65 µm long; the buccal tube, measured as specified above, is 19.13 µm long (37.04% of the total length of the bucco-pharyngeal tube) and 1.20 µm wide (ptd = 6.27). The stylet supports are inserted on the buccal tube at 58.25% of its length. The pharyngeal bulb (23.77 µm long and 13.28 µm wide) has apophyses, three rod-shaped macroplacoids, a small, granular microplacoid, and a septulum. The second macroplacoid is as long as the first one or slightly shorter; the third macroplacoid is clearly longer than the first two. In the holotype the first macroplacoid is 3.63 µm long (ptd = 18.97), the second 3.63 µm (ptd = 18.97), the third 4.57 µm (ptd = 23.89); the septulum, clearly shorter than the first macroplacoid, is 2.25 µm long (ptd = 11.76). The entire line of macroplacoids and septulum is 14.52 µm long (ptd = 75.90), the line of macroplacoids 11.69 µm (ptd = 61.11). The claws are slender. The position of the examined specimens is not good to measure all the claws; we were able to measure the outer claws on the third pair of legs in the holotype (8.28 µm; ptd = 43.28); in one of the paratypes, 150 µm long and having the buccal tube 18.44 µm long, we were able to measure the inner claws of the first pair of legs (4.83 µm, ptd = 26.19) and the outer claws of the second pair of legs (7.08 µm, ptd = 38.39). On all claws the main branches have accessory points. Lunulae and other cuticular thickenings on the legs are absent. - Pilato & Binda 1997/1998.
Body Length: Up to 190 microns.
Key Characters: Differs from D. pingue by having: clearly longer macroplacoids (relative length 1=2<3), slightly longer claws. Differs from D. higginsi by lack of claws bars and lack of dentate claw bases.
Key Character Images
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 / leaf litter. Also found in tree lichen and tree moss. Soil / leaf litter. Also found in tree lichen and tree moss. Soil / leaf litter. Also found in tree lichen and tree moss.
Abundance: Uncommon. This species makes up 0.64% 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 and DIC.
Wikipedia

 Photo Gallery for Diphascon pinguiforme - No common name

Photos: 3

Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment: Buccal apparatus, DIC		Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment: Claws IV, DIC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment: Habitus, DIC