Smittipora Jullien, 1882

Taylor, Paul D., Martha, Silviu O. & Gordon, Dennis P., 2018, Synopsis of ‘ onychocellid’ cheilostome bryozoan genera, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (25 - 26), pp. 1657-1721 : 1701-1703

Genus Smittipora Jullien, 1882

( Figure 29 )

Type species

Vincularia abyssicola Smitt, 1873 , by original designation. Recent, Atlantic Ocean off Cuba and Florida, USA .

Diagnosis

Colony encrusting. Autozooids subhexagonal; zooidal boundaries with medial groove ( Figure 29 (a,b)). Cryptocyst extensive, granular. Gymnocyst lacking. Opesia somewhat subterminal, occupying about one-third of frontal surface, longer than wide, semi-elliptical with opesiular indentations but no lateral constrictions ( Figure 29 (c)). Ovicells immersed; fertile zooids having appreciably larger and cormidial opesiae ( Figure 29 (b)). Avicularia vicarious, symmetrical ( Figure 29 (b)), about half the width of an autozooid; opesia elongated ovoidal, widest distally; condyles present on opposite sides of the avicularian opesia; rostrum short, rounded, floor pustulose; mandible exceeding avicularium length ( Figure 29 (d)).

Remarks

Jullien (1882) noted the more or less equal size of the wings on opposite sides of the rachis of the avicularium, which correlates with the symmetrical skeleton of the avicularium found in this genus, in contrast to the curved avicularium of Onychocella . He also described the cryptocyst as being facetted, inviting comparison with Euritina (see above). One Recent and eight fossil species were listed in Smittipora by Jullien (1882).

Bock (2017; accessed 20 October 2017) lists 43 species in Smittipora , ranging from Cretaceous (Coniacian) to Recent, including some species formerly assigned to Velumella Canu and Bassler, 1917 ; a likely subjective junior synonym (e.g. Fransen 1986). Smittipora cordiformis Harmer, 1926 , recently redescribed by Dick and Grischenko (2017), has asymmetrical avicularia, thus differing from the type and most other species assigned to Smittipora . However, this species has relatively small opesiae that are typical of Smittipora in contrast to the larger opesiae seen in Onychocella that occupy a greater proportion of the frontal area of the zooid. The combination of Smittipora -like opesiae with Onychocella -like avicularia in S. cordiformis highlights problems in attributing onychocellid species to genera.

Tubercles, apparently gymnocystal, are present at the proximal ends of the zooids of interstitial colonies of Smittipora sawayai Marcus, 1937 , redescribed by Winston and Vieira (2013), and in Smittipora tuberculata ( Canu and Bassler, 1928) .

Range

Cretaceous (Coniacian) to Recent.

Figures

Figure 29. Smittipora abyssicola (Smitt); NHMUK 1999.8.9.4; Recent, west of East Channel, Aldabra Island, 22/11/1967; (a) dried colony; (b) avicularia and autozooids, one ovicellate (arrowed); (c) two autozooids, the one on the left with operculum and part of the frontal cuticle intact; (d) autozooids with cuticles partially preserved and two avicularia with open mandibles. Scale bars: a = 1 mm; b = 200 µm; c = 100 µm; d = 500 µm.