Roszkowska Milena, Ostrowska Marta, Kaczmarek Łukasz
Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
Laboratorio de Ecología Natural y Aplicada de Invertebrados, Universidad Estatal Amazónica, Campus Principal Km 2.1/2 via a Napo (Paso Lateral) Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador.
Zool Stud. 2015 Jan 14;54:e12. doi: 10.1186/s40555-014-0082-7. eCollection 2015.
The diversity and distribution of the tardigrades in South America are rather poor and selective, as is information about their feeding behaviour and diet. To date, only ca. 210 tardigrade taxa have been reported from the region of South America. In the present paper, we provide an update of the distribution of the genus inSouth America and discuss some aspects of the feeding behaviour in the family Milnesiidae.
In seven moss samples collected in the Argentinean province of Río Negro, 31 specimens, 4 exuviae and 32 eggs belonging to the genus were found. Among them, four species were identified: sp. nov., sp. nov., and . By its dorsal sculpture, sp.nov. is most similar to sp.nov., and, butit differs from and mainlyby having a different claw configuration and from e and by having stylet supports inserted in a more caudal position and by some other morphometriccharacters. In the width of its buccal tube and the claw configuration [3-3]-[3-3], sp.nov. is most similar to , and,but it differs from them mainly by having a sculptured dorsal cuticle and by some other morphometric characters.
The study discusses distribution and taxonomic problems of the species known from South America. As of now, nine taxa are known from this region (including two new species reported in this paper). Additionally, the study broadens our knowledge of tardigrades' feeding behaviour, provides some details about their diet and suggests that the type of prey chosen by some species belonging to the family Milnesiidae may be associated with the width of their buccal tube.
南美洲缓步动物的多样性和分布相当有限且具有选择性，关于它们的摄食行为和饮食的信息也是如此。迄今为止，南美洲地区仅报道了约210个缓步动物分类单元。在本文中，我们提供了南美洲该属的分布更新，并讨论了米尔内西idae科摄食行为的一些方面。
在阿根廷内乌肯省采集的7个苔藓样本中，发现了31个标本、4个蜕壳和32枚属于该属的卵。其中，鉴定出了4个物种：新种、新种、和。新种通过其背侧纹饰，与新种、和最相似，但它与和的不同主要在于爪的构型不同，与和的不同在于口针支撑插入的位置更靠后以及一些其他形态特征。在口管宽度和爪构型[3-3]-[3-3]方面，新种与、和最相似，但它与它们的不同主要在于有纹饰的背侧角质层以及一些其他形态特征。
该研究讨论了南美洲已知的该属物种的分布和分类问题。截至目前，该地区已知9个该属分类单元（包括本文报道的两个新物种）。此外，该研究拓宽了我们对缓步动物摄食行为的认识，提供了关于它们饮食的一些细节，并表明米尔内西idae科的一些物种选择的猎物类型可能与其口管宽度有关。
