Puellina hincksi (Friedl, 1917)

Yang, Ho Jin, Seo, Ji Eun, Min, Bum Sik, Grischenko, Andrei V. & Gordon, Dennis P., 2018, Cribrilinidae (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata) of Korea, Zootaxa 4377 (2), pp. 216-234 : 228-229

Puellina hincksi (Friedl, 1917)

( Figs 34–35 )

Cribrilina radiata var. hincksi Friedl, 1917: 236 .

Puellina radiata var. hincksi: Harmelin 1970: 84 .

Puellina hincksi: Harmelin & Aristegui 1988: 516 , 519, fig. 10D–E; Hayward & McKinney 2002: 38, fig. 17A–C (cum syn.). Puellina (Cribrilaria) harmeri: Liu et al. 2001: 517 , pl. 33, figs 1–2. Non Cribrilaria harmeri Ristedt, 1985 .

Material examined. South Sea: Wan Island (three colonies); Jeju Island: Seogwipo (four colonies).

Description. Colony encrusting, unilaminar, multiserial, small, up to 7.4 mm across, transparent. Autozooids roundly subhexagonal/subpentagonal to suboval. Frontal shield ( Fig. 34 ) comprising 13–17 costae (mean 15), pinnate except for suboral pair, each tapering to center of shield (if zooid rounded) or midline (if more elongate), where there is an irregular arrangement of tiny nodules and pores; 3–5, mostly four, lacunae between adjacent costae; lacunae nearest gymnocyst produced frontally as an erect cuticular papilla; costal midline with 2–3 peaks. Lateral gymnocyst negligible, slightly more developed proximally or proximolaterally. Orifices dimorphic. Autozooidal orifice transversely D-shaped, wider than long, proximal margin sometimes weakly convex; bordered by five articulated oral spines. First pair of costae (orificial bar) defining a small transverse pseudospiramen between the fused bifurcated tips, the more proximal tines elevated as a small irregular peak. Sparse interzooidal avicularia ( Fig. 34 ) relatively broad-based, produced from pore-chambers; with moderately long, acutely triangular rostrum, its rim smooth; small mandibular pivots present, no crossbar. Maternal zooids with subquadrate primary orifice visible at colony margin, wider than long with oblique lateral margins, at lower level than ooecial orifice; distal rim straight with rounded distolateral corners. Ooecium subprominent, glabrous, with weak median suture and irregular surface of 2–4 peaks or a crest ( Fig. 35 ); ooecial orifice resembling that of ordinary autozooids; four oral spines present. Up to four basal pore chambers on each distolateral side of zooids at colony margin. Ancestrula not seen.

Measurements. ZL, 220–346 (252) µm; ZW, 128–217 (183) µm; OrL, 34–43 (39) µm; OrW, 51–60 (56) µm.

Remarks. Puellina hincksi is one of a growing group of species united by several characters, including five oral spines, a median suboral lacuna, similar-shaped interzooidal avicularia and an overlapping range of frontalshield costae (Harmelin & Aristegui 1988). As more and more species of Puellina are described, the inferred ranges of those previously thought to be widely distributed contract, and it appears that most species are restricted to particular regions or biotopes. There are some exceptions—Harmelin & Aristegui (1988), for example, accorded Puellina scripta (Reuss, 1848) , first described from the Miocene of Austria, a present-day range from the Ibero- Moroccan Bay to Florida, the Mozambique Channel and the Kermadec Ridge. It is questionable whether P. hincksi , a Mediterranean species, and the present material are genuinely conspecific and the distribution is hard to explain. On the other hand, had P. hincksi been originally described from the western Pacific, we should have no hesitation in ascribing the name to the Korean material.

It is possible that the line drawing of Colletosia radiata [sic] (Moll, 1803) in Mawatari (1965) pertains to the present species; it has five oral spines and a median suboral lacuna (but more costal spines, however). The Chinese specimen attributed to Puellina harmeri ( Ristedt, 1985) by Liu et al. (2001) matches our Korean material; it has only five oral spines whereas P. harmeri has seven.

Distribution. Mediterranean Sea, Korea, 0–20 m depth.

Figures

FIGURES 34–35. Puellina hincksi (Friedl), SE Wan Island, South Sea. 34, autozooids, ovicellate zooid and interzooidal avicularium; 35, autozooidal and ovicellate orifices. FIGURES 36–38. Puellina harmeri (Ristedt), Munseom, Island, Seogwipo, Jeju Island. 36, autozooids, ovicellate zooids and avicularia; 37, zooids at colony margin showing adventitious avicularia on developing ovicellate zooids, and an interzooidal avicularium associated with an autozooid; 38, colony margin showing interzooidally produced avicularia. Scale bars:34, 37, 200 µm; 35, 38, 100 µm; 36, 400 µm.