Diphascon sanae Dastych, Ryan, Watkins, 1990

Lisi, Oscar, 2017, Two new species of Eutardigrada from Victoria Land, Antarctica, Zootaxa 4317 (3), pp. 541-558 : 547

Diphascon sanae Dastych, Ryan, Watkins, 1990

Fig. 5

Material examined. One specimen (slide No. 4524) from moss sample collected between Terranova Base and Campo Icaro (1990.12.27). As stressed in the description of the species ( Dastych et al. 1990), a light refracting unit is present at the base of all primary branches of the external claws ( Figs. 5 A–C).

This species, a new record for Victoria Land, seems widespread across the Antarctic continent, with records for: Queen Maud Land ( Dastych et al. 1990; Tsujimoto et al. 2014), Ellsworth Land and Palmer Land ( Convey & McInnes 2005), Queen Elizabeth Land ( Hodgson et al. 2010), and the Mawson Coast ( Miller & Heatwole, 1995). Together with Diphascon sanae we found some specimens of Minibiotus vinciguerrae Binda & Pilato, 1992 .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Diphascon sanae (slide No. 4524). A, Bucco-pharyngeal apparatus. B, Claws of the second and third pair of legs. C, Claws of the hind legs. The light-refracting basal unit of the primary branches, reported in the description of the species, is clearly visible in the external claws. Scale bars = 10 µm.