First record of the tardigrade Echiniscus testudo (Doyère, 1840) from northeast of Iran (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscidae)

Document Type : Research articles

Authors

1 ferdowsi university

2 Islamic Azad University of Mashhad

3 azad university

4 Azad University

Abstract

Tardigrada is a phylum closely allied with the arthropods. They are small (0.05-1.20 mm), hygrophilous micrometazoans, have four pairs of lobe-like legs and are either carnivorous or feed on plant material. Most of the tardigrade species are limno-terrestrial. In two moss and lichen samples collected in Mashhad, one heterotardigrade species was found. Echiniscus testudo (Doyère, 1840) belongs to the Echiniscidae group and differs from most of other species in this group mainly by having a different claw configuration and by some morphometric characters. This study is the first report of tardigrades from Iran.

Keywords


  1. Bertolani, R. 1994. Tardigrada. In: K.G. & R.G. Adiyodi (Eds.), Reproductive Biology of Invertebrates. Asexual Propagation and Reproductive Strategies. Vol. VI, Part B. J. Wiley & Sons, Chichester: 25-37.
  2. Birky, C.V. Jr., C. Wolf, H. Maughan, L. Herbertson & E. Henry. 2005. Speciation and selection without sex. Hydrobiologia, 546: 29-45.
  3. Blaxter, M., B. Elsworth & J. Daub. 2004. DNA taxonomy of a neglected animal phylum: an unexpected diversity of tardigrades. Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. B, 71 Suppl.: 189-S192.
  4. Dastych H. (1980) The Tardigrada from Antarctica with descriptions of several new species. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 27(19): 3774–436.
  5. Dastych H. (1985) Redescription of Hypsibius antarcticus (Richters, 1904), with some notes on Hypsibius arcticus (Murray, 1907) (Tardigrada). Mitteilungen Hamburgisches Zoologisches Museum und Institut88: 141–159.
  6. DeMilio, E., Lawton, C., Marley, N.J. 2016. Tardigrada of Ireland: a review of records and an updated checklist of species including a new addition to the Irish fauna. ZooKeys 616: 77–101.
  7. Doyère M. (1840) Mèmoire sur les tardigrades. Annales des Sciences Naturelles 2(14): 269–361.
  8. Garey, J.R., M. Krotec, D.R.Nelson & J. Brooks. 1996. Molecular analysis supports a tardigrade-arthropod association. Invertebr. Biol., 115: 79-88.
  9. Guidetti R, Gandolfi A, Rossi V, Bertolani R. (2005) Phylogenetic analysis of Macrobiotidae (Eutardigrada, Parachela); a combined morphological and molecular approach. Zoologica Scripta 34(3): 235–244. doi: 10.1111/j.1463-409.2005.00193.x
  10. Guil N, Giribet G. (2009) Fine scale population structure in the Echiniscus blumi-canadensis series (Heterotardigrada, Tardigrada) in an Iberian mountain range- when morphology fails to explain genetic structure. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51(3): 606–613. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.02.019[PubMed]
  11. Jørgensen, A. & R.M. Kristensen. 2004. Molecular phylogeny of Tardigrada – investigation of the monophyly of Heterotardigrada. Mol. Phyl. Evol., 32: 666-670.
  12. Kinchin IM. (1994) An introduction to the invertebrate microfauna associated with mosses and lichens with observations from maritime lichens on the west coast of the British Isles. Microscopy 36: 721–731.
  13. Kristensen, R.M. 1987. Generic revision of the Echiniscidae (Heterotardigrada), with a discussion of the origin of the family. In: R. Bertolani (Ed.), Biology of Tardigrades. Selected Symposia and Monographs, U. Z. I., 1. Mucchi Editore, Modena, Italy: 261-335.
  14. Lushai, G., H.D. Loxdale & J.A. Allen. 2003. The dynamic clonal genome and its adaptive potential. Biol. J. Linn. Soc., 79: 193-208.
  15. Maraun, M., M. Heethoff, K. Schneider, S. Scheu, G. Weigmann, J. Cianciolo, R.H Thomas & R.A Norton. 2004. Molecular phylogeny of oribatid mites (Oribatida, Acari): evidence for multiple radiations of parthenogenetic lineages. Exp. Appl. Acarol., 33: 183-201.
  16. Mark-Welch, D.B. & M. Meselson. 2000. Evidence for the evolution of bdelloid rotifers without sexual reproduction or genetic exchange. Science, 288: 1211-1215.
  17. Miller, W.R., S.K. Claxton & H.F. Heatwole. 1999. Tardigrades of the Australian Antarctic Territories: Males in the genus Echiniscus(Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada). Zool. Anz., 238: 303-309.
  18. Miller, W.R., S.K. Claxton & H.F. Heatwole. 1999. Tardigrades of the Australian Antarctic Territories: Males in the genus Echiniscus(Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada). Zool. Anz., 238: 303-309.
  19. Murray J. (1911) Arctiscoida. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 31(37): 1–16. doi: 10.5962/bhl.title.64352
  20. Nelson DR, Marley NJ. (2000) Re-description of the genus Pseudobiotus (Eutardigrada, Hypsibiidae) and of the new type species Pseudobiotus kathmanae sp. n. Zoologischer Anzeiger 238: 311–317.
  21. Nelson DR. (2002) Current status of the Tardigrada: ecology and evolution. Integrative and Comparative Biology 42(3): 653–659. doi: 10.1093/icb/42.3.652 [PubMed]
  22. Normark, B.B., O.P. Judson & N.A. Moran. 2003. Genomic signatures of ancient asexual lineages. Biol. J. Linn. Soc., 79: 69-84.
  23. Ramazzotti G, Maucci W. (1983) Il Phylum Tardigrada. Terza edizione riveduta e corretta. Memorie dell’Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia Dott. Marco Marchi 41: 1–1012.
  24. Regier, J.C. & J.W. Shultz. 2001. Elongation Factor-2: A useful gene for arthropod phylogenetics. Mol. Phyl. Evol., 20: 136-148.
  25. Schill, R.O., G.H.B. Steinbrück & H.-R. Köhler. 2004. Stress gene (hsp70) sequences and quantitative expression in Milnesium tardigradum(Tardigrada) during active and cryptobiotic stages. J. Exp. Biol., 207: 1607-1613.
  26. Schön, I. & K. Martens. 2003. No slave to sex. Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. B, 270: 827-833.
  27. Smith, R.J., T. Kamiya & D.J. Horne. 2006. Living males of the 'ancient asexual' Darwinulidae (Ostracoda: Crustacea). Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. B, 273: 1569-1578.
CAPTCHA Image