Thermal biology and immersion tolerance of the Beringian pseudoscorpion <Emphasis Type="Italic">Wyochernes asiaticus</Emphasis>

Wyochernes asiaticus (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae) is a pseudoscorpion distributed across Beringia, the areas of Yukon, Alaska and Siberia that remained unglaciated at the last glacial maximum. Along with low temperatures, its streamside habitat suggests that submergence during flood events is an important physiological challenge for this species. We collected W. asiaticus in midsummer from 66.8°N Yukon Territory, Canada, and measured thermal and immersion tolerance. Wyochernes asiaticus is freeze-avoidant, with a mean supercooling point of ?6.9 °C. It remains active at low temperatures (mean critical thermal minimum, CT_min, is ?3.6 °C) and has a critical thermal maximum (CT_max) of 37.8 °C, which is lower than other arachnids and consistent with its restriction to high latitudes. Fifty per cent of W. asiaticus individuals survived immersion in oxygen-depleted water for 17 days, suggesting that this species has high tolerance to immersion during flooding events. To our knowledge, these are the first data on the environmental physiology of any pseudoscorpion and a new addition to our understanding of the biology of polar microarthropods.