Mesotardigrada
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Mesotardigrada is one of three classes of tardigrades,<ref>Namebank Record Detail. Ubio.org (8 August 2003). Retrieved on 17 October 2011.</ref> consisting of a single species, Thermozodium esakii.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Data Use Agreement – GBIF Portal. Data.gbif.org (22 February 2007). Retrieved on 17 October 2011.</ref><ref>2010 Annual Checklist :: Species details. Catalogue of Life (28 November 2006). Retrieved on 17 October 2011.</ref><ref>2010 Annual Checklist :: Literature references. Catalogue of Life. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Thermozodium esakii – Encyclopedia of LifeTemplate:Dead link. EOL. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.</ref><ref>Namebank Record Detail. Ubio.org (8 August 2003). Retrieved on 17 October 2011.</ref> The animal reportedly has six claws of equal length at each foot. This species was described in 1937 by German zoologist Gilbert Rahm from a hot spring near Nagasaki, Japan. The inability of taxonomists to replicate Rahm's finding has cast doubt on the accuracy of the description, making T. esakii, and by extension the entire class Mesotardigrada, a taxon inquirendum.<ref name=":0" />
Taxonomic ambiguity
[edit]The type specimen Rahm used as the basis of his description has either been lost<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or it was never preserved in the first place, which Grothman et al. (2017) suggest is consistent with the lax taxonomic standards of the 1930s.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> Thus, re-examination of the original specimen is not possible. Complicating matters further, the type locality from which Rahm collected his specimen may have been destroyed by an earthquake and subsequent searches for additional specimens matching the original description have been unsuccessful.<ref name=":0"/>
Grothman et al. (2017) suggest that Rahm might have observed and misinterpreted a species in the class Heterotardigrada, possibly belonging to the genus Carphania or Oreella.<ref name=":0"/>
See also
[edit]- Monoblastozoa – another high rank taxon whose sole member has not been independently verified to exist