Material examined: Two specimens (body length 127.2 and 204.5 µm) collected from a moss sample at Parque Biológico (Avintes, Vila Nova de Gaia) were mounted in Hoyer’s medium.
Distribution: The species was recorded from various localities of the Mediterranean region (Italy, Turkey) and from North America.
Taxa Reported by Localities by District Year HETEROTARDIGRADA
Echiniscus trisetosus Cuénot, 1932 Da Cunha Viana do Castelo, Castelo Branco 1947 a Maucci & Durante-Pasa Portalegre, Guarda 1984 a Maucci & Durante-Pasa Bragança, Évora 1984 c Hypechiniscus gladiator (Murray, 1905) Da Cunha Viana do Castelo 1947 b Pseudechiniscus suillus (Ehrenberg, 1853) Da Cunha Porto, Guarda, Coimbra, Castelo
Branco 1941 Fontoura Viseu 1944 a Maucci & Durante-Pasa Braga 1981 Viana do Castelo, Vila Real,
Portalegre, Évora 1984 c Isohypsibius prosostomus Thulin, 1928 Da Cunha Castelo Branco 1948 Maucci & Durante-Pasa Guarda 1984 a Vila Real 1984 c Fontoura et al. Porto this paper Isohypsibius sattleri (Richters, 1902) Da Cunha Coimbra 1947 a Hypsibius camelopardalis Ramazzotti & Ramazzotti & Maucci Portalegre 1983 Maucci 1983 *
Hypsibius convergens (Urbanowicz, 1925) Da Cunha Coimbra, Aveiro 1941 Maucci & Durante-Pasa Porto, Viseu 1984 c Ramazzottius oberhaeuseri (Doyère, 1840) Da Cunha Aveiro, Portalegre 1941 Fontoura Porto, Vila Real, Leiria 1981 Braga 1982 Maucci & Durante-Pasa Guarda 1984 a Bragança, Viseu, Faro 1984 c Diphascon (Adropion) prorsirostre Thulin, Maucci & Durante-Pasa Viseu 1984 c 1928
After this study, 63 limno-terrestrial tardigrade species are recorded for Portugal, including 10 described as new species to science (Table 5). However, some records needs to be confirmed. Eventual mis-identifications, already stressed by Maucci & Durante-Pasa (1984 c), could have occurred. Macrobiotus echinogenitus Richters, 1904 was probably confused with M. harmsworthi Murray, 1907 a. Da Cunha (1941) described the observed specimens attributed to that species as having three macroplacoids instead of two. Some years later and without other comments, Da Cunha (1947 b) reported the presence of the species in other Portuguese stations. The first records of Macrobiotus harmsworthi and M. richtersi Murray 1911 are also doubtful because Da Cunha (1948) reported the synonym name M. schultzei Greeff, 1866. Fortunately, both species have been recorded in Portugal some years later (Fontoura, 1981). Echiniscus bisetosus Heinis, 1908, according to Maucci (1985), is not a valid species and the specimens attributable to this species belong to other species of the blumi group (E. blumi Richters, 1903; E. canadensis Murray, 1910; E. mediantus Marcus, 1930; E. trisetosus Cuénot, 1932), all of them already recorded in Portugal. According to Binda & Guglielmino (1982) Echiniscus bisetosus, and other elements of the series blumi-canadensis have probably to be attributed to E. blumi. Very probably, Bryodelphax tatrensis (Węglarska, 1959) is present in Portugal (the description and pictures of Bryodelphax parvulus Thulin, 1928 presented by Da Cunha (1941) seems to match with B. tatrensis). If so, the first Portuguese record of B. parvulus must be attributed to Maucci & Durante- Pasa (1984 c). On the other hand, Table 5 also shows that some Districts are very poorly surveyed and the number of Portuguese species will be probably much higher.