Jörgensen, A.; Kristensen, R. M. (2001). A New Tanarctid Arthrotardigrade with Buoyant Bodies. Zoologischer Anzeiger - A Journal of Comparative Zoology. 240(3-4): 425-439.

199273

10.1078/0044-5231-00051 [view]

Jörgensen, A.; Kristensen, R. M.

2001

240(3-4): 425-439

Publication

Available for editors   [request]

Four cruises have revealed a very rich tardigrade fauna inhabiting the shell gravel at the Faroe Bank and Bill Bailey Bank in the North Atlantic. This study presents the description of Tanarctus bubulubus sp. n., which is one of the many new tanarctids from the Faroe Bank. The new species is found from 104 m to 200 m and is always in clean carbonate sand to shell gravel. Currently 10 species of Tanarctus are described from various localities around the world. At the Faroe Bank 9 species new to science have been found together with T. gracilis Renaud-Mornant, 1980 and T. heterodactylus Renaud-Mornant, 1980 originally described from the Western Atlantic. T. bubulubus sp. n. (‘the balloon animal’) has been investigated using LM, SEM and TEM and is characterised by sense organs on the fourth pair of legs (P4) which terminate in nine to ten balloons each. The surface of the balloons is adhesive and in whole-mount preparations the balloons attach strongly to the coverslip. The epicuticle of the balloons consists of only a very thin membrane-like layer, which may be folded or smooth, depending of the degree of extension of the balloon. The stalk of P4 is hollow and seems to lack sensory structures. The internal space of the balloon is enclosed with a secondary membrane (inner trilaminary layer?), to which some osmiophilic granulae are attached. The balloon is filled with liquid that may be different from seawater. It is hypothesised that the balloons are used as buoyancy devices, which allow the animal to move easily in the detritus layer on top of the sediment. Live animals are observed upside-down in the water column floating with the head downwards. The dorsal surface of the animal is often covered with coccoliths of the species Emiliania huxleyi, camouflaging the animal in the sediment.

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