Echiniscoides sigismundi is a species of marine tardigrade. It lives in seaweeds or plates of barnacles, or more generally in algal strongholds in inter-tidal areas.
Taxonomy Echiniscoides sigismundi is the type species of Echiniscoides. Described in 1865 as Echiniscus sigismundii, it was placed in a separate genus by Ludwig Hermann Plate in 1888.
Distribution By 1936, it was reported in most seas of Northern Europe, and in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
The Light and Smith Manual describes its distribution as cosmopolitan, in the upper inter-tidal.
Osmobiosis Echiniscoides sigismundi becomes turgid in freshwater, but can survive up to three days, resuming normal activity as osmotic differential returns to normal.
Infraspecies Echiniscoides sigismundi galliensis Kristensen and Hallas, 1980 Echiniscoides sigismundi groenlandicus Kristensen and Hallas, 1980 Echiniscoides sigismundi hispaniensis Kristensen and Hallas, 1980 Echiniscoides sigismundi mediterranicus Kristensen and Hallas, 1980 Echiniscoides sigismundi polynesiensis Renaud-Mornant, 1976 Echiniscoides sigismundi porphyrae Grimaldi de Zio, Gallo D'Addabbo and Pietanza, 2000 Echiniscoides sigismundi sigismundi (M. Schultze, 1865) Echiniscoides sigismundi verrucariae Grimaldi de Zio, Gallo D'Addabbo and Pietanza, 2000
See also Tardigrada Heterotardigrada
References
Bibliography R.O. Schuster, and A. A. Grigarick, 1965. Tardigrada from Western North America With Emphasis on the Fauna of California. University of California Publications in Zoology, vol. 76: 1-67. Roberto Guidetti and Roberto Bertolani, 2005. Tardigrade taxonomy: an updated check list of the taxa and a list of characters for their identification. Zootaxa, issue 845: 1-46. Abstract Peter Degma, Roberto Bertolani|, Roberto Guidetti, 2010. Actual checklist of Tardigrada species (Ver. 12: 16-04-2010). D. J. Crisp and J. Hobart. A note on the habitat of the marine tardigrade Echiniscoides sigismundi (Shultze) (Payment needed for full article) Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser 12, 7: 554-560
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