Echiniscus ranzii Ramazzotti 1964
Creators: name: Michalczyk, Łukasz
name: Kaczmarek, Łukasz
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2006
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Tardigrada
Heterotardigrada
Echiniscoidea
Echiniscidae
Echiniscus
Echiniscus ranzii

description: Echiniscus ranzii Ramazzotti, 1964 (Figs. 69–71)
Material examined
Syntype, slide no. CT 12742, mounted in Faure’s medium, from Cerro del Pajonal, Chile, South America (The Ramazzotti & Maucci Collection, Museum of Verona, Italy).
Description
Based mainly on the data from Ramazzotti & Maucci (1983). Body length 124.0 to 320.0, including larvae (syntype: 171.0) (Fig. 69). Body red. Red eyes visible in living specimens only. Internal/external cirrus ratio ca. 0.33–0.50. Apart from head cirri and cirrus A, no other appendices present. Cirrus A 128.0–200.0 long (syntype: 87.4), ending in a point. Cirrus A/body ratio 0.50–0.90, mean = 0.66 ± 0.03 (syntype: 0.51).
number of specimens/structures measured). Specimens from population found in Peru.
Dorsal (plate) cuticle probably with true pores and with true granulation. Granules (true granulation, on cuticle surface) present on stripes in anterior portions of paired plates and in anterior part of second median plate. Granules variable in size (0.5–1.0 in diameter). Cuticle appearance in PCM: pores visible as bright, cuticular pillars appear as dark dots. Pores and cuticular pillars very well focusable, at same level.
All plates well developed. Head and scapular plates not faceted. Third median plate present and well developed, in smaller specimens developed anteriorly. Terminal plate faceted. Notches in syntype 14.3 long.
Small spine on legs I, papilla and dentate collar with 4–9 teeth on legs IV. External claws of legs IV with a single or double spur, internal claws of all legs with a relatively small spur, directed downwards (Figs. 70–71). Sometimes spurs present also on external claws of legs I–III or just some of them.
Remarks
Since we were able to examine only one syntype and the original description was written forty years ago, the description of this species is relatively poor in comparison to other species within the bigranulatus group. However a set of characters makes this species very easily recognisable among other known members of the group (e.g., a very high Cirrus A /body ratio and the presence of spurs on external claws).
Geographic distribution
Known only from the type locality.
Type depositories
Type specimens are preserved at the Museum of Verona, Italy.
Etymology
The species was named after Professor Silvio Ranzii.
Differential diagnosis
For comparisons with other species of the bigranulatus group see Tables 7–8.
CHARACTER E. bigranulatus E. madonnae sp. nov. E.ollantaytamboensis E. ranzii
Richters, 1908 (type population) Miller et al., 2001 Ramazzotti, 1964 (neotype (from Puno, Peru) (original population) description and syntype)
description: Published as part of Michalczyk, Łukasz & Kaczmarek, Łukasz, 2006, Revision of the Echiniscus bigranulatus group with a description of a new species Echiniscus madonnae (Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada: Echiniscidae) from South America, pp. 1-26 in Zootaxa 1154 on pages 19-23, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.172226