Macrobiotus rebecchii sp. nov.: A New Limno-Terrestrial and Hermaphroditic Tardigrade from Kyrgyzstan

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In a moss sample collected on a rock in Kyrgyzstan, I discovered a new hermaphroditic tardigrade belonging to the genus Macrobiotus C.A.S. Schultze, 1834. To document this new species (Macrobiotus rebecchii sp. nov.) I used detailed morphological data collected from animals and eggs under a contrast phase light microscope (PCM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). I also obtained DNA sequences from specimens of the new species (18S rRNA, COI). The external appearance of Macrobiotus rebecchii sp. nov. is similar to Macrobiotus joannae Pilato & Binda, 1983, Macrobiotus punctillus Pilato, Binda & Azzaro, 1990 and Macrobiotus hannae Nowak & Stec, 2018, but it can be easily differentiated from them mainly by a different body granulation pattern. ABSTRACT: A new tardigrade species of the genus Macrobiotus C.A.S. Schultze, 1834 from Kyrgyzstan, is described and illustrated in this paper. Macrobiotus rebecchii sp. nov. is a hermaphroditic and limnoterrestrial species found in a moss growing on a rock in Toluk village. Specimens of the new species were examined for its morphological details using contrast phase light microscope (PCM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Genetic data in the form of DNA sequences of commonly used molecular markers were also obtained (18S rRNA, COI). Phenotypically the new species is most similar to Macrobiotus joannae Pilato & Binda, 1983, Macrobiotus punctillus Pilato, Binda & Azzaro, 1990, and Macrobiotus hannae Nowak & Stec, 2018, but can be easily differentiated from all of them by its body granulation pattern.