''Milnesium'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

tardigrade Tardigrades (), known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals. They were first described by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, who called them . In 1776, th ...

s. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from

Turonian The Turonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS' geologic timescale, the second age (geology), age in the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch, or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Upper Cretaceous series (stratigraphy), ...

stage deposits on the east coast of the United States. Milnesiums are one of the most desiccation and radiation-resistant invertebrates on Earth because of their unique ability to transform into a "tun" state and utilize intrinsically disordered proteins when experiencing extreme environments.

Species

Described species include: * ''

Milnesium alabamae ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Wallendorf & Miller, 2009 *'' Milnesium almatyense'' Tumanov, 2006 * '' Milnesium alpigenum'' Ehrenberg, 1853 *'' Milnesium antarcticum'' Tumanov, 2006 * '' Milnesium argentinum'' Roszkowska, Ostrowska & Kaczmarek, 2015 *'' Milnesium asiaticum'' Tumanov, 2006 * '' Milnesium barbadosense'' Meyer & Hinton, 2012 * '' Milnesium beasleyi'' Kaczmarek, Jakubowska & Michalczyk, 2012 * ''

Milnesium beatae ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Roszkowska, Ostrowska & Kaczmarek, 2015 * '' Milnesium berladnicorum'' Ciobanu, Zawierucha, Moglan & Kaczmarek, 2014 * '' Milnesium bohleberi'' Bartels, Nelson, Kaczmarek & Michalczyk, 2014 *'' Milnesium brachyungue'' Binda & Pilato, 1990 * ''

Milnesium cassandrae ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Moreno-Talamantes, Roszkowska, García-Aranda, Flores-Maldonado & Kaczmarek, 2019 *''

Milnesium burgessi ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Schlabach, Donaldson, Hobelman, Miller & Lowman, 2018 * ''

Milnesium dornensis ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Ciobanu, Roszkowska & Kaczmarek, 2015 *''

Milnesium dujiangensis ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Yang, 2003 *''

Milnesium eurystomum ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Maucci, 1991 * ''

Milnesium fridae ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Moreno-Talamantes, León-Espinosa, García-Aranda, Flores-Maldonado & Kaczmarek, 2020 * ''

Milnesium granulatum ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Ramazzotti, 1962 * ''

Milnesium jacobi ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Meyer & Hinton, 2010 *''

Milnesium katarzynae ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Kaczmarek, Michalczyk & Beasley, 2004 * ''

Milnesium kogui ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Londoño, Daza, Caicedo, Quiroga & Kaczmarek, 2015 * ''

Milnesium krzysztofi ''Milnesium'' is a genus of tardigrades. It is rather common, being found in a wide variety of habitats across the world. It has a fossil record extending back to the Cretaceous, the oldest species found so far (''M. swolenskyi'') is known from T ...

'' Kaczmarek & Michalczyk, 2007 * '' Milnesium lagniappe'' Meyer, Hinton & Dupré, 2013 *'' Milnesium longiungue'' Tumanov, 2006 * '' Milnesium minutum'' Pilato & Lisi, 2016 * '' Milnesium quadrifidum'' Nederström, 1919 * '' Milnesium rastrum'' Suzuki, Sugiura, Tsujimoto, and McInnes, 2023 * '' Milnesium reductum'' Tumanov, 2006 * '' Milnesium reticulatum'' Pilato, Binda & Lisi, 2002 * '' Milnesium sandrae'' Pilato & Lisi, 2016 * '' Milnesium shilohae'' Meyer, 2015 *'' Milnesium swansoni'' Young, Chappell, Miller & Lowman, 2016 *† '' Milnesium swolenskyi'' Bertolani & Grimaldi, 2000 *''

Milnesium tardigradum ''Milnesium tardigradum'' is a cosmopolitan species of tardigrade that can be found in a diverse range of environments. It has also been found in the sea around Antarctica. ''M. tardigradum'' was described by Louis Michel François Doyère in 1 ...

'' Doyère, 1840 *'' Milnesium tetralamellatum'' Pilato & Binda, 1991 * '' Milnesium tumanovi'' Pilato, Sabella & Lisi, 2016 * '' Milnesium validum'' Pilato, Sabella, D'Urso & Lisi, 2017 * '' Milnesium variefidum'' Morek, Gąsiorek, Stec, Blagden & Michalczyk, 2016 * '' Milnesium vorax'' Pilato, Sabella & Lisi, 2016 * '' Milnesium zsalakoae'' Meyer & Hinton, 2010

References

Apochela Tardigrade genera {{Tardigrade-stub