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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Tanarctidae Members:
Tanarctus arborspinosus
Tanarctus dendriticus
Tanarctus gracilis
Tanarctus heterodactylus
1 NC Records
Tanarctus gracilis
Renaud-Mornant, 1980 - No Common Name
Drawing Renaud-Mornant 1980
Taxonomy
Class:
Heterotardigrada
Order:
"Arthrotardigrades"
Family:
Tanarctidae
Checklist Number:
2200.0
Taxonomic Comments:
There are currently (Oct 2023) 15 species known for this genus.
Species Notes:
Marine. Discovered in NC at 4000 m depth off the coast of Cape Lookout. Also reported from Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean.
Identification
Online resources:
Online Photographs:
Google
,
GBIF
Species Description:
Body oval, the head is trapezoidal, with lateral border posteriorly curved; the anterior part of the head is formed from a cuticular membrane, which unites the bases of the internal median cirri. The unpaired median cirrus is 11 microns long; the internal median cirri, distally pointed, has enlarged bases, and are 19 microns long. Ventrally is found the external median cirri, positioned on a base followed by a constriction; they are 12 microns long. The cirri A are dorsal and have size equal to the external median cirri. The clavae, situated on the poorly developed cephalic lobes, are ventral and bear a refringent organ at the base: length 110 microns. The ventral mouth forms a transverse cleft. Dorsally the cuticle is very finely punctated, while ventrally the body is roughly subdivided by folds at the level of the insertion of the legs. On the posterior part of the body exists cirri E (28 microns) inserted on lateral rounded prominences. On the 4th legs is found the long caudal non-branched bristles (220 microns). The telescopic legs consist of a coxal part (with distal filament), a femoral part, and a retractile tibial part. The legs bear four digits of which the internals measure 15 microns, the externals 8-9 microns; the claws, sickle-shaped, have one external spur.
-Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
Body Length:
80 microns.
Key Characters:
Primary clave approximate 110 microns in length, posterolateral appendages unbranched (about 220 microns long) with no bristles.
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:
Deep sea fine sand.
Abundance:
Unknown.
Diet:
Probably herbivorous.
Reproduction:
Sexual, females with seminal receptacles, eggs probably deposited in exuvium.
Observation Methods:
PC.
Wikipedia
Photo Gallery for
Tanarctus gracilis
- No common name
Photos: 1
Recorded by: Renaud-Mornant on 1974-05-15
Carteret Co.
Comment: Drawing Renaud-Mornant 1980