A new, simplified, drying protocol to prepare tardigrades for scanning electron microscopy.

A new protocol for preparation of tardigrades for scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis is proposed. The more conventional protocols require various steps and a long time to obtain good drying of water bears, together with specific and uncommon instruments (i.e.

New species and records of tardigrades from a biological repository collection from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) is a mountain range in northern Colombia, recognized for its high biological richness. To date, the existence of 27 species of tardigrades is known for this particular region. Morphological and morphometric analysis of 51 specimens, found in 16 samples of bryophytes and lichens collected at the SNSM, and deposited in the tardigrade collection of the "Centro de Colecciones Científicas de la Universidad del Magdalena" between 2011 and 2016 was carried out.

Two new tardigrade species (Echiniscidae and Doryphoribiidae) from the Salta province (Argentina).

Tardigrades from Argentina are poorly known. Two new species from the Salta province are described in the present contribution: Pseudechiniscus saltensis sp. nov.

Description of a new genus and species (Eutardigrada: Richtersiidae) from Colombia, with comments on the family Richtersiidae.

The new genus of the macrobiotoid family Richtersiidae Guidetti, Rebecchi, Bertolani, Jönsson, Kristensen Cesari, 2016 Crenubiotus gen. nov. is described, based on Crenubiotus crenulatus comb.

A new species of Isohypsibiid (Eutardigrada) from Sicily.

Dastych (2016) analysed the holotype of Isohypsibius tetradactyloides (Richters, 1907) and noticed that it possesses a very faint cuticular sculpture. For this and other characters, Dastych considered the species to be a synonym of Isohypsibius asper (Murray, 1906). The authors re-examined specimens attributed to Isohypsibius tetradactyloides by Pilato (1971) from two Sicilian rivers, and noticed that they cannot be attributed to Isohypsibius asper but to a new species.

gen. nov., sp. nov. an interesting eutardigrade (Hypsibiidae, Itaquasconinae) from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.

A new genus of Itaquasconinae, , and a new species, , are described. The new genus has characters present in other genera of Itaquasconinae but in a unique combination. The spiral thickening of the bucco-pharyngeal tube is also present anteriorly to the insertion point of the stylet supports, excluding only the short portion where the apophyses for the insertion of the stylet muscles (AISM) are present.

New records of tardigrades from Colombia with the description of sp. nov. and sp. nov.

By examining material collected in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Department of Magdalena, Colombia), the authors report a new record for the entire South America, Doryphoribius gibber Beasley & Pilato, 1987, and two species new to science, Paramacrobiotus sagani sp. nov., and Doryphoribius rosane sp.

and , two new species of Eutardigrada (Tardigrada, Parachela) from Sicily.

Two new species of Eutardigrada are described from Sicily: Macrobiotus nebrodensis sp. nov. and Adropion vexatum sp.

Echiniscidae from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, new records and a new species of Thulin, 1928 (Tardigrada).

Three species of are recorded for the first time from Colombia: , , and . In addition, the description of the new species , is mainly based on the presence of ten paired plus two unpaired granularly sculptured ventral plates, the dorsal plate ornamentation with superficial irregular pores, no spine on the anterior legs, and the hind legs without papillae or dentate collar.

Two new species of Milnesium (Tardigrada: Milnesiidae).

Two new species of Milnesium are described: Milnesium vorax sp. nov from Sicily and Milnesium tumanovi sp. nov.

Eremobiotus ginevrae sp. nov. and Paramacrobiotus pius sp. nov., two new species of Eutardigrada.

Two new eutardigrade species are described: Eremobiotus ginevrae sp. nov. and Paramacrobiotus pius sp.

Milnesium minutum and Milnesium sandrae, two new species of Milnesiidae (Tardigrada, Eutardigrada, Apochela).

Two new species of Milnesium are described, Milnesium minutum sp. n. from Sicily and Milnesium sandrae sp.

Two new freshwater eutardigrade species from Sicily.

Two new species of freshwater Eutardigrada are described from Sicily: Isohypsibius rusticus sp. nov. and Isohypsibius zappalai sp.

Persistence of phlebotomine Leishmania vectors in urban sites of Catania (Sicily, Italy).

Background: Pioneering research on "Mediterranean Kala-Azar" carried out by Adler and Theodor early in the past century (~1930s) had identified Catania city (Sicily) as a major focus of the disease nowadays known as zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Despite the fact that disease in both humans and dogs has continued to be highly prevalent in the Catania province up to the present times, research on Leishmania vectors in this urban focus dates back to that distant period. This study aimed to evaluate the persistence and current composition of the sand fly fauna in urban environments of Catania in recent years, 2006 and 2013.

Tardigrada from a sub-Andean forest in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia) with the description of Itaquascon pilatoi sp. nov.

Currently only 32 species of limno-terrestrial tardigrades have been reported in the literature for Colombia. Our study focused on both heterotardigrades and eutardigrades, which were extracted from eight samples of bryophytes and lichens collected in a sub-Andean forest transect in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Fourteen species were found, six of which are new records for Colombia: Echiniscus madonnae Michalczyk & Kaczmarek, 2006, Echiniscus virginicus Riggin, 1962, Milnesium krzysztofi Kaczmarek & Michalczyk, 2007, Doryphoribius amazzonicus Lisi, 2011, Isohypsibius sattleri (Richters, 1902) and Diphascon higginsi Binda, 1971; and one new to science.

Mixibius parvus sp. nov. and Diphascon (Diphascon) ziliense sp. nov., two new species of Eutardigrada from Sicily.

Two new species, Mixibius parvus sp. nov. and Diphascon (Diphascon) ziliense sp.

An exceptional event during the moulting process of an eutardigrade: two bucco-pharyngeal apparatuses present.

A specimen of Diphascon (Diphascon) procerum with two bucco-pharyngeal apparatuses (one of which should have been expelled during moulting process) is described, and that anomalous condition is discussed.

Two new tardigrade species from Sicily.

Two new species of tardigrades are described from Sicilian moss samples: Macrobiotus insuetus sp. nov. and Diphascon (Diphascon) procerum sp.

A new tardigrade Doryphoribius maasaimarensis sp. nov. (Eutardigrada: Hypsibiidae) from Kenya.

A new tardigrade, Doryphoribius maasaimarensis sp. nov., is described from a moss sample collected in Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.

Ramazzottius thulini (Pilato, 1970) bona species and description of Ramazzottius libycus sp. nov. (Eutardigrada, Ramazzottidae).

Comparing the type series of Ramazzottius thulini with specimens of Ramazzottius oberhaeuseri, from the locus typicus, we confirmed there are morphological and metric differences between these two species. This evidence convinced us that R. thulini should be considered a bona species.

The problem of the origin of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vertebrates: historical review and a possible solution.

A concise review of the articles about the origin of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vertebrates is provided. Differences among various taxa concerning the origin of PGCs, not easily understandable on the base of traditional knowledge, are pointed out. All those differences can be explained taking into consideration the recent “theory of the endoderm as secondary layer”.