Echiniscus nigripustulatus Horning, Schuster & Grigarick, 1978

Pilato, Giovanni, Binda, Maria Grazia & Lisi, Oscar, 2005, Remarks on some Echiniscidae (Heterotardigrada) from New Zealand with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 1027 (1), pp. 27-45 : 27-45

Echiniscus nigripustulatus Horning, Schuster & Grigarick, 1978 ( Fig. 9 A )

Material examined: South Island , Arthurs Pass National Park, Halpin Creek: one specimen —considered paratype by Horning et al. (1978) —from a sample of Acrobolus cinerascens (hepatic) and Bartramia halleriana (moss) on rock face .

The description of the cuticular sculpture of E. nigripustulatus is misleading. Horning et al. (1978) wrote: “Dorsal plates with weak polygonal pattern on scapular plate (Fig. 13); remaining plates with pores of irregular size and spacing and with some large (to 3 m diameter), opaque granules (Fig. 13)”. According to this description the sculpture of the scapular plate seems to be very different from that of the other plates. In the paratype we examined, we noted that large circular granules surrounded by some pores are present on all plates ( Fig. 9 A ). The circular granules are thick and therefore can appear dark. The sculpture is less regular on the median portion of the scapular and terminal plates, more regular on the lateral portions of all plates. A smooth transversal band is present on the paired plates II and III whose anterior portions have dark granules but lack pores. Ventral surface with very fine, almost invisible dots.

Legs without dark granules. The teeth of the dentate fringe on the fourth pair of legs are very sharp. The dimensions of some structures of the examined paratype are provided in Table 1.

Figures

FIGURE 9. A, Echiniscus nigripustulatus (paratype): habitus. B, C: Antechiniscus conversus (paratype): habitus. Scale bar = 30 m.