A new species of tardigrade known as Echiniscus gemmatus has been discovered in Macao by Bonnie Leong Weng I, a local master’s student who is currently studying at Taiwan Normal University.
Nicknamed “water bears” or “moss piglets,” tardigrades are eight-legged microorganisms that are renowned for being able to survive in extreme conditions with little to no food and water. The new Macao species has an orange-yellow colour and a round body.
Leong, a biology student, made the discovery in 2019 in Mong Há Hill Municipal Park. She notes that at the time “it was a big achievement,” which made her “even more passionate about studying tardigrades.” Her discovery has now been recognised by the academic journal Zootaxa, which published a paper that she and her fellow researchers wrote about the new tardigrade in its December 2024 issue.
Leong told Macao News that uncovering the Eschniscus gemmatus was “special,” as it is “quite rare” to find a new species in Macao. “It is the first time a tardigrade species has been found in this area, showing that there is more biodiversity here,” Leong said. “This finding helps us learn more about the city’s ecology and local environment.”
She also hopes that her achievement will be an inspiration to other women “to follow their passion in science and whatever they love.”
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Researching tardigrades in Macao has not been without its hurdles. Leong mentions that there were “limited resources available” and “no tardigrade experts in Macao or Taiwan” to direct her study. As a result, she had to consult Polish expert, Łukasz Kaczmarek about tardigrade taxonomy and Taiwan’s national academy, Academia Sinicia, for advice on DNA analysis techniques.
As for the future, Leong hopes to continue her study of tardigrades overseas, as well as engage in further research about the microscopic creatures in Macao.
According to National Geographic, there are roughly 1,300 tardigrade species around the world. These creatures – measuring approximately 0.5 millimetres – are able to withstand extreme conditions partly because of a special protein in their body that shields their DNA from harmful elements, and their ability to lay dormant for long periods of time.
