Tardigrades of North America: First Report of Water Bears on a Freshwater Turtle

Abstract

Two male red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) were captured by the BioScience class of the Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) during routine study. The animals were brought in for measurements and teaching before being released. The class asked if there might be tardigrades in the algae on their backs. Scrapings were examined and two active Minibiotus jonesorum tardigrades were found on one of the turtles. Rotifers, nematodes, and ciliates were also observed. This is the first record of tardigrades being found on the back of a turtle and suggests another vector for the movement and dispersal for these non-self-dispersing microscopic animals. This record documents an extension of the range for the species of tardigrade, reports the first incident of this terrestrial species in an aquatic habitat, and adds to the diversity of the state of Kansas.