A REVISION OF THE MACROBIOTUS-HUFELANDI GROUP (TARDIGRADA, MACROBIOTIDAE), WITH SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE TAXONOMIC CHARACTERS OF EUTARDIGRADES

This study considers specimens of Macrobiotus hufelandi C. A. S. Schul tze, 1834 collected from Italy and Germany, including the type localit y. In addition to a qualitative analysis of the animals and eggs, stat istics were performed on the measurements of the sclerified parts of t he animals. The data illustrate low intra-species variability in the m orphology of both the animals and the eggs. Differences in egg shell m orphology, previously attributed to the variability of M. hufelandi, w ere found to fall into distinct types, related to different animal mor photypes. The data also indicate that M. hufelandi contains several ne w species: M. macrocalix sp.n., M. sandrae sp.n. and M. terminalis sp. n.; M. hufelandi is redescribed, and a neotype is assigned.