Harry A. Meyer

The Effect of Toe-Clipping on the Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus

A recent review of the methods for study of reptile populations convincingly argued that data on age-specific survival, reproduction, immigration, and emigration are essential for testing all facets of life history theory (Dunham et al., 1994). These authors also noted that such data can only be obtained from long-term studies of populations in their natural habitats. However, the obstacles to conducting long-term field studies are considerable. One difficulty is developing a method to mark animals so they may be identified reliably for long periods after they were initially captured. Ideally, the marks in long-term studies should (1) be permanent, (2) identify the animals as particular individuals, (3) be easy to use and to read in the field, (4) not cause excessive pain or discomfort to the animals, and (5) not affect the behavior or survival of the animals (Ferer, 1979). In studies of lizards, the technique that is used most frequently is clipping 14 toes in unique combinations (Ferner, 1979; Dunham et al., 1994). This technique results in a permanent mark (since lizard toes do not regenerate) that is easily applied and read in the field. Toe-clipping appears to cause lizards little trauma and has been used success-

Interspecific Association and Substrate Specificity in Tardigrades from Florida, Southeastern United States

The distribution of terrestrial tardigrades in the Gulf Coast states of the United States is poorly known. Only one species has been reported in Florida. In this study moss, liverwort, lichen and fern samples (47 identified species) from trees and shrubs were collected from all 67 Florida counties. These samples contained 20 species of tardigrade. All possible pairs of tardigrade species and tardigrade and substrate were tested for interspecific association. Only three significant negative and one positive interspecific association between tardigrades were detected. Evidence for substrate specificity was weak. Although some tardigrade species were significantly associated with mosses or foliose lichens in general, no significant association between a tardigrade species and a substrate species was detected.

Tardigrades of Louisiana and Arkansas, United States of America

Abstract The distribution of tardigrades in the states of the southern United States is poorly known. There are no published records from the state of Louisiana, while in Arkansas only one species has been reported. Samples of mosses and lichens from trees and rocks were collected from three sites in central and southern Louisiana and six sites in western Arkansas. Leaf litter samples were collected from one site in Louisiana. Nine species of tardigrade were found in Louisiana and 22 in Arkansas. The number of species per sample ranged from one to six.

Milnesium lagniappe, a new species of water bear (Tardigrada, Eutardigrada, Apochela, Milnesiidae) from the southern United States

ABSTRACT. Over 200 species of freshwater and terrestrial water bears (phylum Tardigrada) are known to occur in North America. Of these, 20 species have been recorded in Louisiana. Foliose and fruticose lichen and moss samples collected in 2011 in the city of Lake Charles and in Sam Houston Jones State Park, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, USA, were stored in paper envelopes and later soaked in tap water overnight. Tardigrade specimens and eggs were extracted and mounted in polyvinyl lactophenol. The samples contained a new species of tardigrade. Milnesium lagniappe sp. n. has claw formula [2–3]-[3–2] and 9 sculptured bands in the dorsal and lateral cuticle. The new species most closely resembles Milnesium reticulatum, a species known only from the Seychelles Islands, in its cuticular pattern. However, M. lagniappe sp. n. is almost twice as large as M. reticulatum, lacks gibbosities, has proportionally wider buccal tube and longer claws, and has a more posterior point of stylet insertion. Reexamination of tardigrades from central Florida, USA, previously reported as M. tardigradum shows that they are in fact M. lagniappe sp. n.

The Tardigrada of southern Africa, with the description of Minibiotus harrylewisi , a new species from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae)

ABSTRACT Nine species of tardigrades (Phylum Tardigrada) were found in moss and lichen samples in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with two species being also present in Lesotho. Macrobiotus richtersi, Minibiotus intermedius, Hypsibius convergens, Ramazzottius theroni, Milnesium tardigradum, and Echiniscus duboisi were previously known to be part of the southern African fauna, Macrobiotus iharosi has not been reported before from this region. One species, Macrobiotus cf. echinogenitus, could be identified only to species complex because eggs were not found. One South African species, Minibiotus harrylewisi sp. n., is new to science and is described and illustrated. It differs from other Minibiotus species in its adult cuticle and its egg ornamentation. It most closely resembles M. furcatus, from which it differs in having smooth lunules on leg IV, smaller eyes, smaller and more rounded posterior cuticular pores, and eggs with a smooth shell and much longer, non-bifurcate processes. These new records bring to 61 the number of tardigrade species reported from southern African mosses, lichens and soil.

A new water bear, Minibiotus julianae, from the Caribbean Island of Dominica (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Parachela: Macrobiotidae)

Abstract A new species of tardigrade, Minibiotus acadianus, is described from a moss sample collected in June 2009 from a rainforest palm tree on the island of Dominica, West Indies. The new species has a buccal tube with a single anterior curvature, two macroplacoids, and a microplacoid. The cuticle is smooth with small, evenly-distributed circular or elliptical pores. Eggs have a reticulated shell surface and short inverted goblet egg process; a dentate margin on the distal dish of the processes bears 10–12 short teeth. The new species is most similar to Minibiotus acadianus Meyer & Domingue, 2011; both have wider buccal tubes than other species in the genus. The new species is easily distinguished from M. acadianus in lacking cuticular gibbosities and in some characters of the egg.

Milnesium zsalakoae and M. jacobi, two new species of Tardigrada (Eutardigrada: Apochela: Milnesiidae) from the southwestern United States

Abstract Two new species of the phylum Tardigrada belonging to the genus Milnesium are described. Two specimens of Milnesium zsalakoae, new species, were collected from foliose lichens on rocks in Arizona and New Mexico, U.S.A. and mounted in Hoyers medium. Milnesium zsalakoae has primary claw branches of great length and slenderness, substantially longer relative to the length of the buccal tube than those of any other species of Milnesium. Eleven specimens of Milnesium jacobi, new species, were found in foliose and fruticose lichens collected in eastern Texas, U.S.A. and mounted in Hoyers medium or polyvinyl lactophenol. Milnesium jacobi differs from all species of Milnesium in having a very broad, cylindrical buccal tube and in the posterior placement of its stylet support insertions.

Minibiotus acadianus (Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae), a new species of Tardigrada from southern Louisiana, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT. Over 200 species of freshwater and terrestrial water bears (phylum. Tardigrada) are known to occur in North America. Of these, 16 species have been collected in Louisiana. Foliose and fruticose lichens collected on 18 April 2010 in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, were stored in paper envelopes and later soaked in tap water overnight. Tardigrade specimens and eggs were extracted and mounted in polyvinyl lactophenol. The samples contained a new species of tardigrade. Minibiotus acadianus sp. n. has a buccal tube with single anterior curvature, 2 macroplacoids and 1 microplacoid. Small gibbosities are present on the fourth pair of legs, in 3 caudal rows, and in a single row at the level of the third pair of legs. Minibiotus acadianus sp. n. differs from the most similar tardigrade species, Minibiotus fallax (found in Australia and Florida), in having a shorter and wider buccal tube, a different pattern of gibbosities, and short, peg-shaped processes in addition to long, filamentous processes on the eggs. Reexamination of specimens identified as M. fallax in an earlier paper on the Tardigrada of Louisiana indicates that they are, in fact, M. acadianus sp. n., suggesting that the new species is widely distributed in Louisiana.

Terrestrial Tardigrada of the Island of Barbados in the West Indies, with the Description of Milnesium barbadosense sp. n. (Eutardigrada: Apochela: Milnesiidae)

Abstract. Eleven samples of moss, lichen, and leaf litter were collected at four sites on Barbados, an island of the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies, in January, 2009 and examined for the presence of water bears (Phylum Tardigrada). Although no tardigrades were found in leaf litter, 84 specimens and 11 eggs were present in moss and lichen samples. Four tardigrade species (Macrobiotus harmsworthi, Macrobiotus hufelandi, Paramacrobiotus richtersi, and Minibiotus intermedius) are considered cosmopolitan, and have been found on other Caribbean islands. The fifth species, Milnesium barbadosense sp. n., is described and illustrated. This new species is characterized by having a smooth cuticle, a posterior insertion of the stylet supports on the buccal tube, thick main claw branches with very small accessory points, slender secondary claw branches with short basal spurs, and no eyes. The most likely sources of tardigrades on Barbados are colonists from older islands in the Lesser Antilles, or immigrants brought in by humans on introduced plants.

Distribution of Tardigrades in Florida

Abstract The distribution of terrestrial tardigrades in the Gulf Coast states of the United States is poorly known. Only one species has been reported in Florida. In this study, bryophyte samples (47 identified species) from trees and shrubs were collected from all 67 Florida counties. Twenty tardigrade species were found: Echiniscus cavagnaroi, E. kofordi, E. virginicus, Pseudechiniscus suillus, Ramazzottius baumanni, Diphascon (Diphascon) pingue, Macrobiotus echinogenitus, two species of Macrobiotus cf. harmsworthi, Macrobiotus cf. hibiscus, Macrobiotus hufelandi, two species of Macrobiotus cf. hufelandi, Macrobiotus islandicus, Macrobiotus occidentalis, Macrobiotus richtersi, Macrobiotus tonollii, Minibiotus fallax, Minibiotus intermedius, and Milnesium tardigradum. The distribution of tardigrade species was not correlated with Floridas ecological regions. Tardigrade species richness declined from north to south in peninsular Florida.