New tardigrade records from Monviso (Cottian Alps, Italy) with sequencing of the Acanthechiniscus victor (Ehrenberg, 1853) mitogenome

The Alps are recognised as a hotspot of biodiversity and have historically been extensively studied. However, despite the number of studies devoted to the biodiversity of the Alps, large knowledge gaps are still present. The Southwestern Alps are a biodiverse region known for hosting many endemic animals and plants. To increase the faunistic knowledge of the Southwestern Alps, we have produced the first survey of the tardigrades from Monviso. Notably, we sequenced the mitogenome of the rarely found Arctic-alpine Acanthechiniscus victor (Ehrenberg, 1853), which is an important addition to the existing knowledge as it is the second mitogenome to be sequenced for the tardigrade superfamily Echiniscoidea. The findings of this study highlight how continued explorations of the European mountain ecosystem are still needed to fill in the knowledge gaps regarding its biodiversity.