Tardigrades of North Carolina
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View PDFBatillipedidae Members: 1 NC Records

Batillipes cf. tubernatis - No Common Name



Taxonomy
Class: HeterotardigradaOrder: "Arthrotardigrades" Family: Batillipedidae Checklist Number: 2248.0
Taxonomic Comments: Batillipes tubernatis was originally described from Scotland (Pollock 1971), then redescribed based on species from the Gulf of Mexico in Florida by McKirdy (1975). The European populations have no caudal apparatus while 80% of the Florida population did have a caudal apparatus. Santos et al. (2019) concluded that species assigned to B. tubernatis from the Gulf of Mexico and other places outside of Europe are a different species. Thus, we have used the name B. cf. tubernatis to differentiate this species from the European B. tubernatis.
Species Notes: Marine. Further study is necessary to establish the range of this species in N.Am. Note: this record has not been published in peer reviewed literature.
Identification
Online resources:Online Photographs: Google, GBIF                                                                                 
Species Description: Either without caudal appendage, or with a strong, single, swollen-based cauidal spike inserting as a continuous extension of the body, or with a single, small off-center caudal spur; lateral body projections absent; cephalic appendages moderately long; toe discs large. (McKirdy 1975).
Body Length: ave. 219 microns (Florid
Key Characters: Body lacking lateral projections, single robust caudal spine usually present.
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)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Intertidal beach sand.
Abundance: Unknown.
Diet: Herbivorous feeding on algae.
Reproduction: Separate sexes.
Observation Methods: DIC or Phase microscopy.
Wikipedia

 Photo Gallery for Batillipes cf. tubernatis - No common name

Photos: 1

Recorded by: Bartels on 2024-04-23
Carteret Co.
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