Pseudostygarctus apuliae (Tardigrada, Heterotardigrada): A new species from the lower Adriatic Sea

A new species of Stygarctidae, belonging to the genus Pseudostygarctus McKirdy et al., 1976, Pseudostygarctus apuliae, was found in subtidal sediments of Porto Colombo, near Bari (Adriatic Sea) and is described. The new species has intermediate characters between P. triungulatus McKirdy et al., 1976, and P. mirabilis de Zio Grimaldi et al., 1998. Its major distinctive traits are: the dorsal plates morphology and the cuticle sculpture.