Typhlopolycystis sarda Artois, Moons and Schockaert, 2019

Schockaert, Ernest R., Moons, Patricia, Janssen, Toon, Tessens, Bart S., Reygel, Patrick C., Revis, Nathalie, Jouk, Philippe E. H., Willems, Wim R. & Artois, Tom J., 2019, On the genus Typhlopolycystis Karling, 1956 (Platyhelminthes, Kalyptorhynchia, Polycystididae), with data on the five known species and the description of eleven new species, Zootaxa 4603 (1), pp. 81-104 : 97

Typhlopolycystis sarda Artois, Moons and Schockaert , n. sp.

( Fig. 13 )

Diagnosis. Colourless species of Typhlopolycystis , about 1 mm long with eyes and a proboscis of 1/4 of the body length. The prostate stylet is a broad curved gutter with rounded “lips”, slightly thickened at the concave side and at the proximal rims. It is 30–40 µm long (40 µm in the holotype); proximal width is 21–26 µm. One of the “lips” is clearly narrower than the other one. The curved accessory stylet of 38–55 µm (55 µm in the holotype) has a proximal “head” of 15–23 µm and a blunt terminal end. Both stylets are not attached to each other. There is no clear accessory glandular reservoir.

Occurrence. Italy: Costa Paradiso, (Sardinia), Grotta Niedda, N41°03'08.84" W8°56'15.71", very coarse sediment, shell gravel and pieces of coral , 32 m deep (by Artois & Moons, 0 1 September 2010) (Type Locality).

France: Cerbère, Les Chambres , sand patch in seagrass bed, coarse sand mixed with shell grit, 13.7 m deep, 42°26’32.7”N, 3°10’20.4”E (by Revis & Jouk, 0 4 August 2014) ; Cap Peyrefitte, sand bottom, coarse sand with shell debris and silt, 21 m deep, 42°27’24.8”N, 3°10’19.7E (by Revis & Jouk, 16 July 2012). Spain: Portbou (Catalonia), Punta del Claper , clean sand mixed with shell grit, 20 m deep, 42°25’31.9”N, 3°10’15.2”E (by Revis & Jouk, 30 July 2011) ; Isle of Lanzarote (Canary Islands), Punta Jameos del Agua, medium, clean sand with Caulerpa , 38 m deep (29°9'25.10"N, 13°25'37.89"W, by Artois and Jansen, 15 October 2011).

Material examined. Observations on living animals, micrographs of the living animals from most localities, including the type locality. Three whole mounts from Sardinia (one of them the holotype, SMNH nr. 8913 and two syntypes HU nrs III.2.05–06). Three whole mounts from Cerbère (HU nrs III.2.07–09), two whole mounts from Portbou (HU nrs III.2.10–11) and two whole mounts from Lanzarote (HU nrs III.2.12–13).

Etymology. Species name refers to the type locality. Sardus (Lat.): Sardinian.

Additional data. In most whole mounts, both stylets are detached from each other, as illustrated in the micrograph of the copulatory organ in the live animal ( Fig. 13E 3 ). The prostate stylet has two pointed corners proximally, one at each “half”. The accessory stylet is about one and a half time longer than the prostate stylet. The “head” of the accessory stylet is relatively long, 40–60% of the accessory stylet itself. The seminal vesicle is very large and no accessory glandular reservoir was seen, but it may be very small and inconspicuous, lying between the prostate glands. There is a large bundle of glands ending in the genital atrium. For more comments see below.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Typhlopolycystis microphthalmus n. sp. (A) The atrial organs in the living animal. (B) The copulatory organ. (C) The seminal receptacle. (scale = 20 µm)

FIGURE 13. Typhlopolycystis sarda n. sp. (A) General organisation, drawn from the living animal. (B) Micrograph of the living animal. (C) Micrograph of the caudal half in the living animal. (all from Sardinia). (D) The seminal receptacle in the whole mount. (E) The copulatory organ in the holotype (E3 in the living animal). (F) The copulatory organ in another individual from the type locality. (G) The copulatory organ in an individual from Lanzarote. (H) The copulatory organ in an individual from Portbou. (scale = 20 µm)