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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Macrobiotidae Members:
Macrobiotus hibiscus
Macrobiotus hufelandi
Macrobiotus margoae
Macrobiotus martini
Macrobiotus nelsonae
Mesobiotus harmsworthi
Mesobiotus n. species
Minibiotus intermedius
Minibiotus jonesorum
Minibiotus lazzaroi
Paramacrobiotus aff. areolatus
Paramacrobiotus aff. richtersi
Paramacrobiotus halei
Paramacrobiotus tonollii
1 NC Records
Macrobiotus hibiscus
de Barros, 1942 - No Common Name
Drawings from Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
Taxonomy
Class:
Eutardigrada
Order:
Parachela
Family:
Macrobiotidae
Checklist Number:
1755.0
Taxonomic Comments:
Nomen inquirendum according to Stec et al. 2021 due to insufficient detail in description for positive identification. Very similar to others in M. hufelandi group.
Species Notes:
Terrestrial. Recorded in US from Florida to Ohio to Oklahoma.
Identification
Online resources:
Online Photographs:
Google
,
GBIF
Species Description:
Colorless, eyespots present. Mouth opening consisting of 3 rings (the author does not cite peribuccal lamellae); buccal tube rather short (30 microns) and thin (2.5 microns); pharynx almost round, with 2 macroplacoids, of variable length and shape, of which the 1st is longer than the 2nd; microplacoid present. The doubleclaw is of the hufelandi type (a Y), with accessory points on the primary branch, and is about 8 microns long. The eggs are round, with a diameter of about 5.7~, and have truncated cone-like projections, that get wider distally into a disk at the notched margin; the shell is irregularly punctated. It is possible that this species is a variety of M. hufelandi; in fact,the eggs are practically identical because it is not rare that also in those of M. hufelandi the distal disk of the ornamentation is notched and that on the shell is lacking the small crown of points around the base of the projection. The diameter of the buccal tube and the shape of the tube and macroplacoids are also rather variable in hufelandi; it seems therefore necessary to study more abundant material, so that this species could be considered valid and truly distinct from hufelandi. Of note is also the aberrant form of M. hufelandi with 2 macroplacoids (see the description of this species) which cannot be distinguished from hibiscus in some ways.
-Ramazzotti & Macci 1983
Body Length:
Up to 340 microns.
Key Characters:
Unclear.
Key Character Images
Drawings from 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:
Moss.
Abundance:
Common in Nelson's Roan Mt. inventory.
Diet:
Probably omnivorous.
Reproduction:
Ornamented eggs deposited externally
Observation Methods:
PC and DIC.
Wikipedia
Photo Gallery for
Macrobiotus hibiscus
- No common name
Photos: 1
Recorded by: Nelson on 1971-10-15
Mitchell Co.
Comment: Drawings from Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983