Integrative approach reveals the first record of Milnesium guanyinensis in the Palearctic along with two other Milnesium (Tardigrada: Apochela) species from Poland

We present the first record of Milnesium guanyinensis in the Palearctic region (S Poland), along with two other Milnesium species (M. berladnicorum and M. inceptum) that are reported as new for Poland. While recent studies have provided empirical evidence that tardigrades belonging to the genus Milnesium exhibit zoogeographical patterns, and only some taxa are recognised as truly cosmopolitan, all of the species re- ported in our study have broad distribution ranges. We contextualise our findings within the current under - standing of tardigrade phylogeography and discuss the potential for anthropogenic long-distance dispersal. The current study increases the number of known Milnesium species in Poland from four to seven and raises the total number of tardigrades in Poland to 118. All of the observations are based on an integrative taxonomy approach, which combines a morphological analysis with DNA barcoding.