Tardigrades of North Carolina
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View PDFStyraconyxidae Members: 1 NC Records

Angursa unidentified species - No Common Name



Angursa biscuspis Fujimoto & Hansen 2019
Taxonomy
Class: HeterotardigradaOrder: "Arthrotardigrades" Family: Styraconyxidae Checklist Number: 2310.0 Synonym: Angursa biscuspis
Taxonomic Comments: Originally described as the new genus and new species Angursa biscuspis by Pollock 1979. See Kaczmarek et al. 2015 and Fujimoto & Hansen 2019 for revisions of this species and genus.
Species Notes: Marine. Single specimen found in deep sea sediment approximately 80 km SE of Cape Lookout.
Identification
Online resources:Online Photographs:                                                                                  
Species Description: The original description of Angursa biscupsis follows. It is unknown how Angursa unidentified species differs from A. biscuspis.
Angursa biscuspis: Body slender, 5-6 times longer than wide; length 163 microns. Head moderately rounded. Cephalic cirri slender and short; the median cirrus seems absent. Clavae large, with slender bases, 12 microns long, positioned a little posterior to the lateral cirri, which are 5 microns long. Cuticle transparent. Cirri E (14 microns) positioned between the legs of the 4th pair, that is, more posterior than usual in the Heterotardigrada. Legs slender, terminally telescopic; the 4th legs are longer than the other pairs. On the first pair of legs a short spine (8 microns), on the other legs neither papillae nor spines. The legs end with four digits, the external shorter than the internal. Claws small, terminated with two apices curved in lateral position between them, of about equal size. -Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983
Body Length: 127 microns
Key Characters: The genus Angursa has an elongate, slender body without cuticular armor, 4 digits per leg with internal digits longer than external, claws with 2 points at tip of each digit. The A. biscuspis group has long, club-shaped primary clavae.
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: Marine fine sand with silt/clay, 400m bsl.
Abundance: Unknown, probably rare.
Diet: Probably herbivore feeding on algae, or microbivore/detritivore.
Reproduction: Females with seminal receptacles for sperm storage, eggs probably laid externally.
Observation Methods: Phase contrast or differential interference contrast microscopy.
Wikipedia

 Photo Gallery for Angursa unidentified species - No common name

Photos: 1

Recorded by: Pollock on 1974-05-15
Carteret Co.
Comment: Angursa biscuspis Fujimoto & Hansen 2019