Description of Doryphoribius dawkinsi, a new species of tardigrada (eutardigrada: hypsibiidae) from the Costa Rican highlands, with the key to the genus Doryphoribius

Authors:

• ŁUkasz Michalczyk,
• Łukasz Kaczmarek

Abstract

A new eutardigrade from Costa Rican highlands, Doryphoribius dawkinsi sp. nov., is described and figured. The new species is most similar to Doryphoribius zyxiglobus but differs from it mainly by the presence of gibbosities I ^c and L_IV, and also by the absence of lunules on claws. Apart from the new species description, we propose a unified system of numbering and identifying cuticular gibbosities. Moreover, using two independent traits (the number of placoids and the presence/absence of cuticular gibbosities), we define four groups of species within the genus Doryphoribius (doryphorus, evelinae, vietnamensis and zappalai group) and provide a diagnostic key to all known Doryphoribius species. Copyright © 2010 Magnolia Press.