Monniotus

Monniot, Françoise, 2012, Some ascidians from the southern coast of Madagascar collected during the “ AtimoVatae ” survey, Zootaxa 3197, pp. 1-42 : 24

Monniotus sp.

( Figure 19 C,D)

Station. TA 10, 25° 28.3 S –44° 55.6 E, 23m, 17/05/2010 (MNHN A1 MON 7)

The colony consists in a bunch of numerous sandy zooids distributed in long ramified stems issued from a common base ( Fig. 19 C,D). The zooids are 1cm long and the stems reach 7cm. The siphons are apical, the oral siphon oriented ventrally. Both siphons have a yellow colour in formalin. The branchial sac has 9 or 10 rows of stigmata, 28 stigmata in a half row and 10 short papillae on the right side in the middle of the branchial sac. The gut loop is straight. The stomach has a dozen of sinuous folds. There is an annular post-stomach and the rectum begins with a caecum at the ascending limb of the intestine. The post-abdomen is very long and lengthen into the common stem of the zooids. No gonads and no larvae are present in this colony.

The colony structure is nearer to that of M. ramosus than to M. spica but the stems are thinner and longer here and the zooids are differently arranged. The zooids differ by the colour of the siphons, a smaller number of stigmata rows but the colony is immature.

Figures

FIGURE 19. A, B, Monniotus spica n. sp. entire colony and detail. C, Monniotus sp. parts of colony.