A1 Journal article (refereed)
Expanding Acutuncus : Phylogenetics and morphological analyses reveal a considerably wider distribution for this tardigrade genus (2023)

Vecchi, M., Tsvetkova, A., Stec, D., Ferrari, C., Calhim, S., & Tumanov, D. (2023). Expanding Acutuncus : Phylogenetics and morphological analyses reveal a considerably wider distribution for this tardigrade genus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 180, Article 107707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107707

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Vecchi, Matteo; Tsvetkova, Alexandra; Stec, Daniel; Ferrari, Claudio; Calhim, Sara; Tumanov, Denis

Journal or series: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

ISSN: 1055-7903

eISSN: 1095-9513

Publication year: 2023

Publication date: 18/01/2023

Volume: 180

Article number: 107707

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107707

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/85396

Abstract

The tardigrade genus Acutuncus has been long thought to be an Antarctic endemism, well adapted to this harsh environment. The Antarctic endemicity of Acutuncus was recently dispelled with the description of Acutuncus mariae Zawierucha, 2020 found in the Svalbard archipelago. The integrated analyses on two newly found Acutuncus populations from UK and Italy, and a population of Acutuncus antarcticus found close to its type locality allowed us to expand the climatic and geographic range of the genus Acutuncus. These findings also allowed us to re-evaluate the morphological diagnoses of Acutuncus and accommodate it in the newly proposed monotypic family Acutuncidae fam. nov. Two new Acutuncus species morpho-groups are instituted based on eggs morphology: one (Acutuncus antarcticus morphogroup) including the Antarctic Acutuncus taxa characterized by eggs with long pillars within the chorion and eggs laid freely to the environment, the other (Acutuncus mariae morphogroup) including the European species, characterized by eggs with short pillars within the chorion and eggs laid in the exuvium. Finally, we describe two new Acutuncus species from Europe: Acutuncus mecnuffi sp. nov. and Acutuncus giovanniniae sp. nov.

Keywords: Tardigrada; systematics; phylogenetics; evolutionary biology; distribution; polar regions; endemic species

Free keywords: Tardigrade; antarctica; integrative taxonomy; endemism; polar region; Acutuncus

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2023

Preliminary JUFO rating: 2