Green armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae: Viridiscus), including a new species from the Southern Nearctic, exemplify problems with tardigrade variability research
Abstract Ranges of tardigrade intraspecific and interspecific variability are not precisely defined, both in terms of morphology and genetics, rendering descriptions of new taxa a cumbersome task. This contribution enhances the morphological and molecular dataset available for the heterotardigrade g...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-40609-4 |
| _version_ | 1797559551436783616 |
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| author | Sogol Momeni Piotr Gąsiorek Jacob Loeffelholz Stanislava Chtarbanova Diane R. Nelson Rebecca Adkins Fletcher Łukasz Michalczyk Jason Pienaar |
| author_facet | Sogol Momeni Piotr Gąsiorek Jacob Loeffelholz Stanislava Chtarbanova Diane R. Nelson Rebecca Adkins Fletcher Łukasz Michalczyk Jason Pienaar |
| author_sort | Sogol Momeni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Ranges of tardigrade intraspecific and interspecific variability are not precisely defined, both in terms of morphology and genetics, rendering descriptions of new taxa a cumbersome task. This contribution enhances the morphological and molecular dataset available for the heterotardigrade genus Viridiscus by supplying new information on Southern Nearctic populations of V. perviridis, V. viridianus, and a new species from Tennessee. We demonstrate that, putting aside already well-documented cases of significant variability in chaetotaxy, the dorsal plate sculpturing and other useful diagnostic characters, such as morphology of clavae and pedal platelets, may also be more phenotypically plastic characters at the species level than previously assumed. As a result of our integrative analyses, V. viridianus is redescribed, V. celatus sp. nov. described, and V. clavispinosus designated as nomen inquirendum, and its junior synonymy with regard to V. viridianus suggested. Morphs of three Viridiscus species (V. perviridis, V. viridianus, and V. viridissimus) are depicted, and the implications for general echiniscid taxonomy are drawn. We emphasise that taxonomic conclusions reached solely through morphological or molecular analyses lead to a distorted view on tardigrade α-diversity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:46:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-809c232fcafb4d66bb0918e95f6cdd67 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:46:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-809c232fcafb4d66bb0918e95f6cdd672023-11-20T09:30:37ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-09-0113112410.1038/s41598-023-40609-4Green armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae: Viridiscus), including a new species from the Southern Nearctic, exemplify problems with tardigrade variability researchSogol Momeni0Piotr Gąsiorek1Jacob Loeffelholz2Stanislava Chtarbanova3Diane R. Nelson4Rebecca Adkins Fletcher5Łukasz Michalczyk6Jason Pienaar7Department of Biological Sciences, University of AlabamaDepartment of Invertebrate Evolution, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian UniversityDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of AlabamaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of AlabamaDepartment of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State UniversityDepartment of Appalachian Studies, East Tennessee State UniversityDepartment of Invertebrate Evolution, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian UniversityDepartment of Biological Sciences and the Institute of Environment, Florida International UniversityAbstract Ranges of tardigrade intraspecific and interspecific variability are not precisely defined, both in terms of morphology and genetics, rendering descriptions of new taxa a cumbersome task. This contribution enhances the morphological and molecular dataset available for the heterotardigrade genus Viridiscus by supplying new information on Southern Nearctic populations of V. perviridis, V. viridianus, and a new species from Tennessee. We demonstrate that, putting aside already well-documented cases of significant variability in chaetotaxy, the dorsal plate sculpturing and other useful diagnostic characters, such as morphology of clavae and pedal platelets, may also be more phenotypically plastic characters at the species level than previously assumed. As a result of our integrative analyses, V. viridianus is redescribed, V. celatus sp. nov. described, and V. clavispinosus designated as nomen inquirendum, and its junior synonymy with regard to V. viridianus suggested. Morphs of three Viridiscus species (V. perviridis, V. viridianus, and V. viridissimus) are depicted, and the implications for general echiniscid taxonomy are drawn. We emphasise that taxonomic conclusions reached solely through morphological or molecular analyses lead to a distorted view on tardigrade α-diversity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-40609-4 |
| spellingShingle | Sogol Momeni Piotr Gąsiorek Jacob Loeffelholz Stanislava Chtarbanova Diane R. Nelson Rebecca Adkins Fletcher Łukasz Michalczyk Jason Pienaar Green armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae: Viridiscus), including a new species from the Southern Nearctic, exemplify problems with tardigrade variability research Scientific Reports |
| title | Green armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae: Viridiscus), including a new species from the Southern Nearctic, exemplify problems with tardigrade variability research |
| title_full | Green armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae: Viridiscus), including a new species from the Southern Nearctic, exemplify problems with tardigrade variability research |
| title_fullStr | Green armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae: Viridiscus), including a new species from the Southern Nearctic, exemplify problems with tardigrade variability research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Green armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae: Viridiscus), including a new species from the Southern Nearctic, exemplify problems with tardigrade variability research |
| title_short | Green armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae: Viridiscus), including a new species from the Southern Nearctic, exemplify problems with tardigrade variability research |
| title_sort | green armoured tardigrades echiniscidae viridiscus including a new species from the southern nearctic exemplify problems with tardigrade variability research |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-40609-4 |
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