From Johann August Ephraim Goeze to Ernst Marcus: A Ramble Through the History of Early Tardigrade Research (1773 Until 1929)

Abstract

A survey is presented about the early history of tardigrade research spanning the time from 1773, when the first description of a tardigrade was published by Goeze, until 1929, when the most comprehensive monographic approach by E. Marcus, unsurpassed today, was published. Almost from the beginning, two topics dominated “tardigradology”, i.e. phylogeny and systematics as well as cryptobiosis, especially anhydrobiosis, but also other issues (e.g. morphology, development and life history) have followed successfully with ongoing technical and preparatory improvements.