Biogeography of limno‐terrestrial Tardigrada, with particular reference to the Antarctic fauna

• Published in: Journal of Biogeography
• Main Authors: McInnes, S. J, Pugh, P. J. A
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1998
• Subjects: Antarctic; New Zealand; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Tardigrade
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2699.1998.251176.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1046%2Fj.1365-2699.1998.251176.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1365-2699.1998.251176.x

The Tardigrada is a cosmopolitan phylum of pre‐Pangaean origin, yet tardigrade families and genera show distinct biogeographic components isolated by two major geological events. Separate Laurasian and Gondwanan familial clusters correlate with the Triassic disintegration of Pangaea, while discrete Antarctic, Australian and New Zealand familial/generic clusters relate to the subsequent Jurassic/Cretaceous disintegration of Gondwana.