Herdmania pennata (Monniot C. & Monniot F. 1991)

Exbodi, Françoise Monniot, 2022, Additional records of bathyal ascidians (Tunicata) from the New Caledonia region, Zootaxa 5195 (3), pp. 201-223 : 219

Herdmania pennata (Monniot C. & Monniot F. 1991)

Figure 17

Pyura pennata Monniot C. & Monniot F. 1991

Herdmania pennata (Monniot F. & Monniot C. 2003)

Station: SPANBIOS: CP 5156, 1 specimen.

The body ( Fig. 17A ), 14mm in diameter, is soft with a naked tunic with short spicules. The body wall and all internal organs contain verticill spindle-like spicules characteristic of the genus. There are three sizes of ramified oral tentacles. In addition to the siphon sphincters the body wall musculature consists of a few longitudinal ribbons issued from the oral and atrial siphons but which do not reach the ventral body side. Their design is the same as previously figured (Monniot C. & F. 1991 Fig. 28A). The branchial sac ( Fig. 17B ) has high folds, nine on the right side and eight plus one incomplete fold on the left side. The digestive loop is open; the hepatic gland has round papillae. There is a long gonad on each side ( Fig. 17B ). The testis vesicles surround the tubular ovary. The long sperm duct running along the ovary has a distal opening as well as additional lateral openings on erect papillae (Monniot C. & Monniot F. 1991 Fig. 28B). The oviduct opens in a wide terminal corolla. There are no endocarps. The anatomy of this single specimen corresponds to re-examined older samples of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Herdmania pennata. A, body in its tunic; B, body ventrally opened. Scale bars = 1cm.