Loxosomella almugnecarensis, Figueroa, Manuel Tierno De & Sánchez-Tocino, Luis, 2009

Figueroa, Manuel Tierno De & Sánchez-Tocino, Luis, 2009, Loxosomella almugnecarensis n. sp. (Entoprocta: Loxosomatidae) — a new sponge epizoite from the Iberian Mediterranean Sea, Zootaxa 2236, pp. 65-68 : 65-66

Loxosomella almugnecarensis n. sp.

( Figs 1 A, B; 2A)

Material examined. Holotype: 26.01/5 and paratype 26.01/6, deposited in the Invertebrate Collection of Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain. A second paratype is deposited in the Departamento de Biología Animal, Universidad de Granada ( Granada, Spain). All individuals of the new species were collected on Hyrtios collectrix at Punta del Vapor, Almuñécar ( Granada, Spain) on 10 May 2005.

Type locality. Punta del Vapor, Almuñécar, Granada, Spain.

Etymology. The species is named for the locality, Almuñécar, where it was collected.

Description. Individuals small ( Fig. 1 ); holotype 400 µm long in life, comprising calyx length of 250 µm (calyx width 200 µm) and peduncle length 150 µm (peduncle width 55 µm); foot length 152 µm, foot width (including lateral expansions) 105 µm. Peduncle length was measured as distance between basal end of calyx (at minimum width) and basal end of foot. Holotype and paratype biometry data given in Table 1.

Tentacle number 10 in all studied individuals (holotype and paratypes); tentacle length of fixed animal (paratype) ca. 75 µm.

Calyx longer than wide, widest near upper side of stomach (coinciding with conspicuous lateral expansions or wings) gradually narrowing towards upper part and towards stout stalk. No conspicuous gland cells observed in calyx. Stalk shows randomly arranged epithelial cells.

Gonads yellow, spherical, situated above lateral parts of stomach. Stomach pentagonal, slightly wider than long, pointed basally.

Foot with rounded lateral wings slightly narrower at their base. Main foot gland spherical. Middle groove of foot clearly lined by glandular cells on both sides. Sometimes a lateral bud at level of lateral expansion of calyx; it can reach a considerable size relative to adult. Bud on holotype 208 µm total length, 104 µm calyx width, 125 µm calyx length.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Loxosomella almugnecarensis Drawings depicting the live holotype in frontal view (A) and in dorsal view (B). Scale bars: 100 µm.