PROCEEDINGS OF THE OKLAHOMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Volume 63—1983

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OCCURRENCE OF TARDIGRADES IN ADAIR COUNTY, OKLAHOMA

Lynette Lee and Patricia Woolever

Division of Natural Science and Mathematics, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK 74464

Lichens and mosses were sampled in a study of tardigrades from Adair and Cherokee Counties in Oklahoma. Lichens were collected from gray chert, limestone, and oaks. Samples of about 35 cm² were gathered three times a month during fall and winter 1982-83. The samples were placed in plastic bags, then washed in well water and allowed to soak for several hours before the plant material was removed and the wash water examined for tardigrades (Table 1).

The tardigrades were determined with the keys in Marcus (1), Pennak (2), and Schuster and Grigarick (3). Lichens and mosses will be sent to a specialist for identification.

The only previous publication on tardigrades in Oklahoma is that of Beasley (4). He reported tardigrades in 31 of the 39 counties he sampled, but found none in samples from Adair County. This report is therefore the first record for tardigrades in Adair County, Oklahoma.

REFERENCES

1.   E. MARCUS, In N. T. EDMONDSON (ed.), Freshwater Biology, 2nd ed., John Wiley, New York, N.Y., 1959, pp. 509-521.

2.   R. W. PENNAK, Fresh-Water Invertebrates of the United States, 2nd ed., John Wiley, New York, N.Y., 1978. 3. R. O. SCHUSTER and A. A. GRIGARICK, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 76: 1-67 (1965).

3.   C. W. BEASLEY, The Tardigrade of Oklahoma, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Oklahoma, Norman, 1976.