Two new species of the genus Milnesium Doyère, 1840 (Tardigrada, Apochela, Milnesiidae) from Madagascar

The knowledge of the diversity and distribution of tardigrades on Madagascar is rather poor. To date, only 13 tardigrade taxa have been reported from this region (including one Milnesium species). We examined 46 specimens belonging to two new-to-science species of the genus Milnesium described herein using an integrative approach, including classical morphology and molecular marker (COI, ITS-2 and 28S rRNA) analysis. The species were found in two moss and lichen samples collected in the Ivohibory forest in Fianarantsoa Province. Milnesium matheusi sp. nov., with claw configuration [3-3]–[3-3] and rather wide buccal tube, morphologically is most similar to: Mil. beatae Roszkowska, Ostrowska & Kaczmarek, 2015, Mil. bohleberi Bartels, Nelson, Kaczmarek & Michalczyk, 2014, Mil. eurystomum Maucci, 1991, Mil. shilohae Meyer, 2015 and Mil. tumanovi Pilato, Sabella & Lisi, 2016; however, it differs from these by morphometric characteristics. Milnesium wrightae sp. nov., by the presence of four points on secondary branches of claws IV, is most similar to Mil. quadrifidum Nederström, 1919. However, Mil. wrightae sp. nov. differs from Mil. quadrifidum by claw configuration ([4-4]–[4-4] in Mil. quadrifidum vs. [3-3]–[4-4] in Mil. wrightae sp. nov.), but also by the position of the fourth points on secondary branches of claws IV, which are located near the base of the claw in the new species and near the top of the claw in Mil. quadrifidum . Genotypic analysis showed that Mil. matheusi sp. nov. is most similar to Milnesium sp. (28S rRNA), Mil. variefidum (COI) and Mil. t. tardigradum (ITS-2) while Mil. wrightae sp. nov. is most similar to Milnesium sp. (28S rRNA), Mil. variefidum (COI) and Mil. matheusi (ITS-2). Five Milnesium taxa are recorded from the African region, including the two new species from Madagascar reported in this study.