Turbicellepora pourtalesi Winston, 2005

Ramalho, Laís V. & Calliari, Lauro, 2015, Bryozoans from Rio Grande do Sul Continental Shelf, Southern Brazil, Zootaxa 3955 (4), pp. 569-587 : 582

Turbicellepora pourtalesi Winston, 2005

( Figs 8 A–F)

Cellepora avicularis Smitt, 1873: 53 , figs. 193–198.

Cellepora dichotoma, Osburn, 1914: 214 .

Not Cellepora dichotoma, Marcus, 1938: 46 , fig. 26, 1941: 28, fig. 22. Turbicellepora pourtalesi Winston, 2005: 102 , figs. 279–290

Material examined. Parcel do Carpinteiro, Rio Grande do Sul: MNRJ-1180, am28 station 2, 32°8.402’S, 51°28.045’W, 28 August 2009; MNRJ-1181, am09 pc3, 32°14.605’S, 51°43.991’W, 22 meters depth, 28 September 2009; MNRJ-1182, am09 lance 6, 32°17.032’S, 51°48.754’W, 40 meters depth, 28 September 2009; MNRJ-1219, am22 pc 1, 32°13.716’S, 51°46.101’W, 21 meters depth, 0 2 February 2009; MNRJ-1220, am19 pc1, 32°16.191’S, 51°48.145’W, 25 meters depth, 12 March 2009; MNRJ-1221, am21 P1 Bento, 32°16.674’S, 51°47.330’W, 25 meters depth; MNRJ-1222, am24 station2, 32°09.406’S, 51°28.318’W, 31 July 2009; MNRJ- 1223, am25 station 2, 32°09.173’ S, 51°28.987’W, 0 7 Aug 2009; MNRJ-1224, am28 point 3, 32°07.472’S, 51°26.435’W, 28 August 2009; MNRJ-1226, am05, 32°16.894’S, 51°48.454’W, 24 meters depth, 28 March 2007; MNRJ-1230, am28 point 1, 32°10.861’S, 51°28.269’W, 28 August 2009. Hermenegildo, Santa Vitória do Palmar: MNRJ-1225, H#20, 33°41.254’S, 53°10.116’W, 17 meters depth, June 2011, Coll. FURG.

Description. Colony erect, branched, fragments. Autozooids regular in young colonies ( Fig. 8 A), becoming irregular in old ones ( Fig. 8 B); longer than wide (433–533 (480) µm long x 233–283 (257) µm wide), recumbent (at growing edge) to erect ovoid in shape, frontal wall smooth with few (5–9), small, rounded and sparse areolar pores ( Fig. 8 A). Orifice (108–123 (116) µm long x 92 –109 (102) µm wide) with a sinus large and shallow and condyles rounded ( Fig. 8 C), hidden by the peristome and suboral avicularium ( Fig. 8 D).

Avicularium suboral (80–114 (98) µm long), slightly lateral, raised on a small protuberance; rostrum triangular, directed outwards to left or right side; crossbar complete ( Fig. 8 B, D). Adventitious avicularium with triangular rostrum (93–107 (101) µm long) directed toward proximal region of the colony, sometimes slightly laterally, located near the zooidal margin and proximally; crossbar complete; absent in some zooids ( Fig. 8 D). Vicarious avicularia long (240–369 (313) µm long) slightly spatulate at the tip, occurring infrequently; crossbar complete ( Fig. 8 E).

Oecium hyperstomial (visible part: 78–143 (125) µm long x 157–200 (179) µm wide) submersed in frontal wall, with small rounded pores (11–13) scattered on the surface ( Fig. 8 F); orifice independent of maternal zooid.

Geographic distribution. From Cape Hatteras to Florida, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico ( Winston 2005), and Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul–present study).

Remarks. Almost 35 Turbicellepora species are described worldwide. Of these, 12 species are mentioned to occur in the Atlantic Ocean including one species at Brazil ( T. winstonae Vieira et al., 2010 ). T. pourtalesi Winston, 2005 described from the Northwest Atlantic ( Winston 2005) is very similar to Brazilian species except in the orifice size (Winston’s material is a few µm smaller: 72–126 (100) µm long x 72 –126 (90) µm wide), and has larger oecium, but in the Brazilian material the oecium has secondary calcification which can cause some mistakes during the measurements. Vieira et al. (2008) synonymized Cellepora dichotoma described from Brazil by Marcus (1938 and 1941), however this material need to be reviewed principally because Marcus’s species has adventitious avicularia with circular mandibles and T. pourtalesi has triangular ones.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Turbicellepora pourtalesi Winston, 2005 (A, B, D, F: MNRJ- 1222; C: MNRJ- 1223; E: MNRJ- 1219). A, distal part of a colony fragment with infertile zooids; B, partly branched colony fragment with some ovicellate zooids in the proximal region; C, orifice showing sinus and condyles; D, fertile part of colony showing location of ooecia (broken) and several suboral and frontal avicularia; E, part of eroded colony surface showing orifices and large avicularia; F, fertile part of colony showing intact ooecia with frontal perforations. Scalebars: A, B, 500 µm; C, 20 µm; D, F, 200 µm; E, 100 µm.