''Carphania fluviatilis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 Kleiner Wasserbär ...

. It is the only known species within the genus '' Carphania'', which is the only genus in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Carphaniidae, which is part of the order

Echiniscoidea Echiniscoidea is an order of tardigrades, a phylum of water-dwelling, eight-legged, segmented micro-animals. It was first described by Richters in 1926.

. It was first described by Maria Grazia Binda in 1978. It is a freshwater species, endemic in Italy.''Carphania fluviatilis'' Binda, 1978

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialist ...

References

Echiniscoidea Endemic fauna of Italy Invertebrates of Europe Animals described in 1986 Taxa named by Maria Grazia Binda {{tardigrade-stub