Conopea saotomensis, Carrison-Stone, Dana, Syoc, Robert Van, Williams, Gary & Simison, W. Brian, 2013

Carrison-Stone, Dana, Syoc, Robert Van, Williams, Gary & Simison, W. Brian, 2013, Two new species of the gorgonian inhabiting barnacle, Conopea (Crustacea, Cirripedia, Thoracica), from the Gulf of Guinea, ZooKeys 270, pp. 1-20 : 6-8

Conopea saotomensis sp. n. Figures 2-5Table 3

Type material.

Holotype: CASIZ185253, separated from CASIZ175526, 95% EtOH. Diogo Vaz, São Tomé, Gulf of Guinea, 0°18.89'N, 6°29.39'E, collected by hand/SCUBA, 12-27 m, attached to Leptogorgia c.f. dichotoma, G. Williams, 29 May 2006. Original label: “S-3”, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco.

Paratypes: CASIZ173189 (4 specimens) and CASIZ174804, Diogo Vaz, São Tomé, Gulf of Guinea (0°18.89'N, 6°29.39'E), collected by hand/SCUBA, 9-26 m, R. Van Syoc, 29 May 2006; CASIZ 173190 (3 specimens), 174805 (4 specimens), 174806 (2 specimens), and 175526 (7 specimens), Diogo Vaz, São Tomé, Gulf of Guinea (0°18.89'N, 6°29.39'E), collected by hand/SCUBA, 12-27 m, G. Williams, 29 May 2006; CASIZ178655 (2 specimens) and CASIZ178656 (2 specimens), Ilheu BomBom, Príncipe, Gulf of Guinea (1°42'8.8"N, 7°24'14"E), collected by hand/SCUBA, 11 m, R. Van Syoc, 24 Jan 2009.

Description.

Exterior of shell with minute bumps, most prominent on parieties. Color variable, white with varying shades of purple concentrated on parietes and basis often at carina side of shell. Radii usually white but can be colored, basis lighter shade of purple to light purplish-red (Fig. 2 A–B). Opercular opening round to diamond shaped, small in comparison to shell. Mantle tissue purple near opercular opening. Basis boat shaped (Fig. 2 A–B) highly variable depth and length. Basis length of the paratypes 9-21mm. Basis elongated in rostro-carina axis, often deeply indented and/or warped from growing around axis of gorgonian. Carina convex. Rostrum often elongate. Basis and parieties with longitudinal tubes, alae and radii solid. Tubes of basis hollow near wall plate suture where outgrowths from wall plates articulate, otherwise secondarily filled. Wall plates with small, hollow tubes close to external plate surface. Sutural margins denticulated. Shell strong, not disarticulating in sodium hypochlorite solution.

Scutum (Fig. 3 A–D) with fairly straight tergal and occludent margins, occludent margin may be concave. Basal margin curved. Apex acute. Articular ridge about ⅔ length of tergal margin. Articular furrow present. Adductor ridge absent. Depressor muscle pit deep, medium to large in diameter. Adductor muscle pit shallow. Interior surface of articular ridge and above adductor muscle pit rough with small flat ridges, remainder of interior surface smooth. Interior and exterior of tergum white with varying degrees of purple coloration, most often dark purple, concentrated at apex.

Tergum (Fig. 3 E–H) with concave scutal and convex carinal margins, basal margin slightly convex or straight. Apex acute. Basiscutal angle shallow upper corner recessed. Spur smooth, broad, corners rounded approximately ½ to ⅓ width of tergum. Spur margin bearing 3-5 small teeth. Length of spur teeth variable. Spur furrow open. Articular ridge low ⅓ to ½ length of scutal margin. Articular furrow shallow. Depressor muscle crests faint. Interior surface rough with multiple low longitudinal ridges. Coloration matches that of scutum.

Labrum (Fig. 4A) with deep medial notch, 0-3 teeth on both or one side of notch.

Mandibular palp (Fig. 4B) elongate; superior margin convex, partially covered with long setae; apex with long setae; inferior margin with many shorter setae (Fig. 3).

Mandible (Fig. 4C) with 4-5 teeth excluding inferior angle, decreasing in size, tooth 1 largest, well separated from tooth 2, 2 separated from 3 by smaller distance, teeth 3-5 smallest and closest together, teeth 2-5 may be bidentate. Inferior margin densely setose near angle, superior margin and cutting margin below teeth sparsely setose.

Maxilla I (Fig. 4 D–E) with 7-10 large thick spines, either evenly distributed or concentrated on ⅔ of the cutting margin near superior margin, remaining cutting margin covered in short fine setae. Many fine short setae along inferior margin near cutting margin and a few fine setae along superior margin near cutting margin.

Maxilla II (Fig. 4F) small, oblong, bi-lobed, covered in long fine setae.

Cirrus I (Fig. 5A) with tapered rami, unequal in length, anterior ramus usually ⅓ longer, posterior ramus more distinct segmentation, setae fine, simple, moderately dense.

Cirrus II (Fig. 5B) rami thick, not tapered, unequal in length but less so than CI, anterior ramus longer, setae simple and dense, segmentation distinct, annulated.

Cirrus III (Fig. 5C) rami thick, slightly tapered, disparate in length, anterior ramus longer, setae simple, dense, thicker than CI or CII, segmentation distinct, annulated.

Cirrus IV (Fig. 5D) rami long, tapered, similar length, segments 1-20, end segment varies, with small spines at base of inferior setae, setae simple, superior setae short, sparse, inferior setae long, dense (Fig. 5E).

Cirrus V (Fig. 5F) rami long, tapered, similar length, setae simple, superior setae short, sparse, inferior setae long, dense

Cirrus VI (Fig. 5G) rami long, tapered, similar length, setae simple, superior setae short, sparse, inferior setae long, dense.

All cirral setae simple.

Penis long, covered in sparse fine setae, large basidorsal point (Fig. 5H), tuft of setae distally (Fig. 5I).

Etymology.

Conopea saotomensis sp. n.is named after the island from which it was first collected, São Tomé.

Distribution.

Conopea saotomensis sp. n.is known from São Tomé and Príncipe at depths ranging from 5-34 m living on species of Leptogorgia and Eunicella .

Remarks.

Conopea saotomensis sp. n. differs from Conopea calceola by the following: distance between scutal depressor muscle pit and articular furrow is wider in Conopea saotomensis sp. n. than in Conopea calceola ; angle between tergal spur and basal margin is smaller in Conopea saotomensis sp. n. than in Conopea calceola ; in Conopea saotomensis sp. n. large spines on cutting edge of maxilla span ⅔ or entire length, span entire length in Conopea calceola .