Water bears (Phylum Tardigrada) of Oceania, with the description of a new species of Milnesium

There are few published records of tardigrades (Phylum Tardigrada) from Oceania. Although terrestrial tardigrades have been collected from the Hawaiian islands of O?ahu, Maui and Hawai?i, no species have been recorded from the northernmost main island, Kaua?i. Samples of moss and lichen from Kaua'i and O'ahu yielded 302 tardigrade specimens and 35 eggs, representing nine genera and 16 species. Nine genera and 10 species were collected from Kaua'i, six genera and 10 species from O'ahu. A new species, Milnesium shilohae sp. nov., from O'ahu is described. The new species, a member of the tardigradum' group, has claw configuration [3-3]-[3-3]. It most closely resembles Milnesium bohleberi, from which it can be distinguished by its more posterior stylet support insertion point, narrower buccal tube standard width, more cylindrical buccal tube, and in having internal and anterior secondary claw spurs that are much larger than external and posterior spurs.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B33333AB-8E00-47FA-A856-27129AF25570