Tardigrades in mosses of "El Diviso" Natural Reserve (Santander, Colombia)

Abstract

At the national level, research on the taxonomy and ecology of invertebrate phyla, poorly known or difficult to study. is scarce, and the phylum Tardigrada is an example. To determine the presence and types of Tardigrada, we took samples of lignicolous mosses from four stations at 1795 - 2100 meters in the "El Diviso Reserve" that belongs to the Regional Autonomic Corporation for the Defense of the Bucaramanga Plateau. The samples were hydrated, in Petri dishes for 24 - 72 hours, to revive and extract the specimens. They were mounted in Hoyer and identified using phase-contrast microscopy. We found and determinedl4 tardigrades species, 13 of which belong to Eutardigrada class and one to Heterotardigrada, for a total of three orders, five families, and eight genera. Seven species are reported in Colombia for the first lime: Macrobiotus islandicus, M. richtersi, M. areolatus, M. cf occidentelis, Minibiotus intermedius, lsohypsibius prosostomus, Calohypsibius uerrucosus. A genus, ltaquascon, and a family, Calohypsibidae are also reported. Regarding the similarity of the sampling stations a differential behavior was presented in the distribution of the tardígrades. This is a consequence of the composition of the superior vegetation that largely conditions the microclimatic characteristics where the mosses settle down, therefore species of tardigrades characteristic to each of the sampling stations were found.