Echiniscus blumi Richters 1903

• Main Authors: Gąsiorek, Piotr, Vončina, Katarzyna
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2023
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Tardigrada; Heterotardigrada; Echiniscoidea; Echiniscidae; Echiniscus; Echiniscus blumi; Isfjord*; Spitsbergen
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8349250; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/8119D633B94DFFF91CEDFD8BB81BFECB

4. Echiniscus blumi Richters, 1903 Figure 4A Synonyms Echiniscus bisetosus Heinis, 1908: Gąsiorek et al . (2019b) Echiniscus blumi schizofilus Bartoš, 1941 syn. nov. Echiniscus mediantus Marcus, 1930: Gąsiorek et al . (2019b) Echiniscus ramazzottii Binda & Pilato, 1969: Maucci (1985) Echiniscus trojanus Maucci, 1973 syn. nov. Terra typica : Spitsbergen (a general reference) and Merok (Norway) (Richters 1903); Klaas-Billen Bay, Isfjord, Spitsbergen (Richters 1904b). The species description was published independently in two separate papers (Richters 1903, 1904b). Etymology: The name commemorates J. Blum. A noun in the genitive singular. Shortened description: Medium-sized to large ( ca . 250–450 μm, typically 300–400 μm). Body appendage configuration A-(B)- C-Cd- D-Dd- E (Fig. 4A); generally cirrous appendages in positions B , C , Cd , D , and spines in positions Dd , E , but a variety of intermediate stages can be observed, with some appendages frequently absent or lacking asymmetrically. Overall, chaetotaxy unstable. Dorsal plate sculpturing comprises densely arranged pores with thick epicuticular edges in the form of polygons (Fig. 5A). Pedal plates weakly sculptured. Subcephalic and genital plates may be present in sexually mature females. Claws large; internal ones with primary spurs directed downwards, and external ones with secondary and sometimes even tertiary spurs directed upwards. Phylogenetic position: Echiniscus blumi is firmly located at the base of the Echiniscus phylogenetic tree (Figs 1–2). Remarks:Problems with species delimitation in the blumi-canadensis complex are almost as old as tardigradology itself (Ramazzotti & Maucci 1982), and constitute a prime example of how fallacious the sole usage of chaetotaxy can be in the Echiniscidae. Guil (2008) summarised all transitional forms between morphotypes recognised as species at that time, concluding that basically they represent a morphological continuum, which agrees with findings of previous researchers (Ramazzotti & Maucci 1983; ...