Megerlia King, 1850

Bitner, Maria Aleksandra, 2008, New data on the recent brachiopods from the Fiji and Wallis and Futuna islands, South-West Pacific, Zoosystema 30 (2), pp. 419-461 : 451

Genus Megerlia King, 1850

TYPE SPECIES. — Anomia truncata Linnaeus, 1767 , by original designation ( King 1850: 145).

Megerlia truncata ( Linnaeus, 1767) ( Fig. 19D, E )

Anomia truncata Linnaeus, 1767: 1152 , no. 229.

Megerlia truncata – Logan 1979: 68-72, text-fig. 21, pl. 9, figs 1-23. — Bitner 1990: 145-147, text-fig. 10, pl. 2, figs 6-9; pl. 7, figs 3-6; pl. 8, figs 1-7. — Bitner 2007: 496, 498, fig. 3I, J.

Megerlia gigantea – Cooper 1981: 27, 28, pl. 6, figs 1-26. — d’Hondt 1987: 38, 39.

Megerlia echinata – Laurin 1997: 452, 453, figs 38, 39. — Gaspard 2003: 299, 300, fig. 5 (1-8).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Wallis and Futuna. MUSOR- STOM 7, Wallis, stn DW 525, 1 complete specimen, 1 ventral valve.

DEPTH RANGE. — 500- 600 m.

MEASUREMENTS. — Length 4.8 mm, width 5.6 mm, thickness 1.4 mm.

REMARKS

This species is very rare and was found in only one station near Wallis Island. Although a widespread species, Megerlia truncata is rare in the Pacific, reported until now only from New Caledonia ( Laurin 1997) and the Austral Islands, French Polynesia ( Bitner 2007).

Megerlia gigantea (Deshayes, 1863) appears to be a synonym of M. truncata (see discussion in Bitner 2007).

Figures

FIG. 19. — A-C, Thecidellina maxilla (Hedley, 1899), Fiji; A, dorsal view of complete specimen (MNHN BRA-3120), Bligh Water; MUSORSTOM 10, stn DW 1333, 200-215 m;B, inner view of dorsal valve (MNHN BRA-3121),Bligh Water, MUSORSTOM 10, stn DW 1333, 200-215 m; C, inner view of ventral valve (MNHN BRA-3122), Lau Ridge, BORDAU 1, stn DW 1463, 300-400 m; D, E, Megerlia truncata (Linnaeus, 1767), Wallis and Futuna, ventral and dorsal views of complete specimen (MNHN BRA-3061), MUSORSTOM 7, stn DW 525, 500-600 m. All SEM. Scale bars: A, 1 mm; B-E, 2 mm.