Metapeachia Carlgren, 1943

Gusmão, Luciana C., 2016, Metapeachia schlenzae sp. nov. (Cnidaria: Actiniaria: Haloclavidae) a new burrowing sea anemone from Brazil, with a discussion of the genus Metapeachia, Zootaxa 4072 (3), pp. 373-383 : 375

Genus Metapeachia Carlgren, 1943

Diagnosis (modified from Carlgren 1949 and Yap et al. 2014; modifications in bold, addition in italics). Haloclavidae with elongate body not distinctly divisible into regions; aboral end physa-like. Column smooth with 16 longitudinal rows of cinclides; sticky in live specimens. No marginal sphincter. Tentacles 16 (eight arising from endocoels, eight from exocoels) without acrospheres, all similar length or not. A single deep siphonoglyph forms a tube separated from the actinopharynx only by a small strip of tissue, in its distal-most end drawn out in a conchula. Pairs of mesenteries eight (six primaries and two secondaries in the lateral exocoels), all macrocnemes. Marginal stomata present. Retractor muscles diffuse and strong, parietal muscles well developed. Cnidom: spirocysts, basitrichs, microbasic p -mastigophores and microbasic b -mastigophores.

Remarks. The diagnosis has been modified to accommodate Metapeachia schlenzae sp. nov and to clarify and regularize the terminology used to describe anatomy. Cinclides were observed in the holotype and paratypes of M. tropica (USNM 1213074; USNM 1213073) and in specimens of M. schlenzae sp. nov (see Fig. 1 A–C). In both cases, cinclides are arranged in 16 longitudinal rows along most of the column. The specification of a five-lobed conchula was removed from the diagnosis to accommodate the profusely branched conchula seen in specimens of M. schlenzae sp. nov. The definition of a macrocneme mesentery was excluded to remove redundancy. Microbasic amastigophores were not observed in the filament of preserved material of M. tropica or M. schlenzae sp. nov. and thus the presence of this cnidae was removed from the diagnosis of the genus. It is possible that microbasic pmastigophores and microbasic amastigophores can be differentiated in live specimens, but the utility of this information in the diagnosis is, therefore, limited to the use of live material.

Type species: Peachia tropica Panikkar, 1938 by monotypy

Figures

FIGURE 1. External anatomy of Metapeachia schlenzae sp. nov. and Metapeachia tropica (Panikkar, 1938). A) Lateral view of the preserved holotype of Metapeachia schlenzae sp. nov. (MZUSP 001930) B) Oral view of a specimen of Metapeachia schlenzae sp. nov. showing the oral disc with tentacles, actinopharynx and conchula C) Detail of the column of Metapeachia schlenzae sp. nov. in horizontal position, showing cinclides D) Detail of the column in horizontal position showing cinclides of Metapeachia tropica. Scale bars A, B) 20 mm, C) 5 mm, D) 6 mm.