A new tardigrade species of the genus Neostygarctus Grimaldi de Zio et al., 1982 (Tardigrada, Arthrotardigrada) from the Great Meteor Seamount, Northeast Atlantic

Abstract

A new species of Neostygarctus Grimaldi de Zio et al., 1982 is described from the Great Meteor Seamount summit plateau in the Northeast Atlantic. Neostygarctus grossmeteori sp. nov. is characterized by the number and position of dorsomedian spines (five spines on the cephalic plate and each body plate and on the caudal plate, the spines decreasing in length backwards); the presence of eyes and of one or two pairs of ventral cervical spines; a transversal row of two to five short but strong spikes on the ventral side of the lateral body processes; only the internal claws of each leg provided with a normal accessory spine. The new species is related to N. acanthophorus Grimaldi de Zio et al., 1982 but differs by details of the dorsal body spines and the sculptures, the presence of ventral neck spines and ventral spikes on lateral body projections. Neostygarctus grossmeteori sp. nov. differs from two other known species of Neostygarctus, N. oceanopolis Kristensen et al., 2015 (Condor Seamont, NE Atlantic) and N. lovedeluxe Fujimoto & Miyazaki, 2013 (submarine cave NW Pacific), even more obviously by the number and position of dorsal body spines.