Tardigrades of North Carolina
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View PDFPilatobiidae Members: 2 NC Records

Pilatobius bullatus (Murray, 1905) - No Common Name


Habitus, PC
Taxonomy
Class: EutardigradaOrder: Parachela Family: PilatobiidaeSubfamily: Pilatobiiinae Checklist Number: 1360.0 Synonym: Diphascon bullatus (see Bartels 2021), Diphascon bullatum
Taxonomic Comments: Transferred from Diphascon by Bertolani et al. 2014. Morphologically indistinguishable from species first described in Scotland. No DNA evidence available for further comparison. Family designation follows Tumanov & Tsvetkova (2023).
Species Notes: Terrestrial. Reported infrequently but widely in US.
Identification
Online resources:Online Photographs: Google, GBIF                                                                                 
Species Description: Length up to 400 µm, maximum width of the body occurs at the 3rd pair of legs; eye spots present or absent, legs rather short. The cuticle bears a sculpture composed of rounded granules, especially in the dorso-caudal region; there exists dorsally up to 9 transverse rows of two gibbositeis each, which may be reduced to only the last two caudal rows; the pair of gibbosities of the first (rostral) row are sometimes in contact on the dorsal-median line, but the distance between the gibbosities increases caudally; the caudal gibbosities are the largest. Pharyngeal tube narrow, with external diameter of about 2 µm, rather longer than the oval pharynx (length:width ratio between 1.8:1 and 1.3:1); the "drop" formation is present on the buccal tube. In the pharynx there are apophyses, two macroplacoids in the shape of rods, and septula; the macroplacoids may have approximately the same length, or else the first is longer than the second and with a constriction slightly posterior to the middle. In some, both macroplacoids may have a constriction. The two doubleclaws of each leg differ slightly in length and are rather small. Near the claws the first three pairs of legs bear a short cuticular bar.
-Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
Body Length: Up to 400 microns.
Key Characters: The genus Pilatobious has a buccal tube drop, roundish pharynx, and 2 comma-like macroplacoids and septulum. This species has eyes, large granules larger and more obvious toward posterior, 9 rows of gibbosities on the posterior dorsum, claw bars I-III.
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, predominantly.
Abundance: Rare. This species makes up 0.15% of terrestrial specimens collected in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Bartels' inventory.
Diet: Microbivore.
Reproduction: Smooth eggs deposited in exuvium.
Observation Methods: DIC and PC.
Wikipedia

 Photo Gallery for Pilatobius bullatus - No common name

Photos: 7

Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Dorsum, PC		Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Buccal apparatus, PC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Lateral, PC		Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Buccal apparatus, PC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Habitus, PC		Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Buccal apparatus, PC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2002-11-23
Haywood Co.
Comment: Anterior, PC