Tardigrades of North Carolina
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View PDFPilatobiidae Members: 76 NC Records

Pilatobius nodulosus (Ramazzotti, 1957) - No Common Name


Habitus, PC
Taxonomy
Class: EutardigradaOrder: Parachela Family: PilatobiidaeSubfamily: Pilatobiiinae Checklist Number: 1390.0 Synonym: Diphascon nodulosum (see Bartels et al. 2021)
Taxonomic Comments: Transferred from Diphascon by Bertolani et al. 2014. Morphologically indistinguishable from species first described in Wisconsin. 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: Colorless, eye spots present. The sculpture of the cuticle is composed of tubercles of irregular rounded shape, very large in the dorsal caudal region, where often flattened distally (perhaps because of the coverslip?), assuming sometimes the appearance of small irregular polygonal plates, with diameter up to about 5-6 µm. these tubercles project considerably at the lateral margins, especially at the causal end; the size of them becomes smaller going toward the rostral end of the tardigrade: from the middle of the animal forward the sculpture is reduced to simple granulation, always less distinct, as far as reaching the cephalic region, which seems to be completely smooth, even observed with strong magnification. Pharynx tube very narrow (diameter less than 2 µm), long than the length of the pharynx. Between the buccal tube and the pharyngeal tube exists the “drop” formation. The pharynx is short oval (29 x 24 µm in an animal about 230 µm) with very visible apophyses, 2 macroplacoids (granules), of which the first is a little longer and larger than the second, and septula (or microplacoid?). The legs of the 4th pair are also covered with small tubercles, which become smaller on the 2nd and 3rd pairs, while those on the 1st pair seem to be smooth, or almost; doubleclaws of very different size from each other, especially on the 4th pair of legs, where the principal branch of the external doubleclaw, very slender (as in H. oberhaeuseri), reaches a total length - from base to apex - of about 17 µm. The species may be near to D. rugocaudatum, which presents however only granulation in a restricted caudal zone. For the difference from D. granifer and D. ramazzottii we refer the reader to the observation with regard to D. granifer. D. nodulosum was collected in Wisconsin (in moss on conifer trunks) as well as California, Virginia (U.S.A), and in Canada. - Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
Body Length: Maximum length about 260
Key Characters: Eyes present, cuticle with dorsal round nodules increasing in size posteriorly.
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: Tree lichen and tree moss. Rarely in soil.
Abundance: Uncommon. This species makes up 0.97% 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 nodulosus - No common name

Photos: 7

Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-15
Haywood Co.
Comment: Habitus, PC		Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-15
Haywood Co.
Comment: Buccal apparatus, PC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-15
Haywood Co.
Comment: Claws IV, PC		Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-15
Haywood Co.
Comment: Posterior dorsum showing nodules, PC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-15
Haywood Co.
Comment: Habitus, DIC		Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-15
Haywood Co.
Comment: Anterior, DIC
Recorded by: Bartels on 2003-07-15
Haywood Co.
Comment: Claws IV, DIC