Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899

Moura, Andreza Campos De, Campos, Felipe Ferreira & Pérez, Carlos Daniel, 2022, Rediscovery and redescription of Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899 (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, Zootaxa 5120 (2), pp. 251-262 : 253-260

Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899

Figs 2–5 ; Tables 1 , 2

Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899: 44 , figs 14, 15; Fraser, 1947: 13; Galea et al. 2021: 332, fig. A3.

Type locality. Off the Dry Tortugas (ca. 24°37’ N, 82°55’ W, 45 m), Florida, USA ( Versluys 1899) .

Material examined. Station MT 52 . 2, 4°44’53.7”S, 36°25’27.4”W, off the coast of Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, 65 m, 20.04.2011: a 24 cm high, fertile colony, and three detached fragments of side-branches ( MZUSP 8695 ); a 21 cm high, fertile colony ( MOUFPE-CNI 920 ) .

Description. Colonies erect, to 24 cm high, yellowish brown, darker in polysiphonic portions, arising from a dense tuft of tubular stolons anchoring the colony in sediment, without nematothecae, with sediment particles adhering to them ( Fig. 2A ).

Stem polysiphonic, auxiliary tubes parallel, decreasing in number distally, branched, first branch arising at about 7 cm above the origin from hydrorhyza; all branches fascicled for almost their whole length; main tube of the stem and branches unsegmented; scarce scattered nematothecae on distal parts of secondary tubes and branches ( Fig. 3A , 5A ). Cladial apophyses pinnately arranged along the stem and branches, alternating in two parallel rows, given off upwards at an acute angle, slightly turned to one side of colony ( Fig. 3A ); continuous to first cladial internode ( Fig 3A ), sometimes with a fake node resulting from mechanical breakage of a cladium ( Fig 3B ); two axillar nematothecae, one on each side of base (many detached) ( Fig. 3B ).

Hydrocladia monosiphonic, simple, straight, divided homomerously into up to 25 regular, thecate internodes by slightly oblique nodes; internodes with a hydrotheca and four nematothecae; hydrotheca on first internode centrally-placed ( Fig. 3A–B ), subsequent ones on proximal halves of their corresponding internodes ( Fig. 3C , 5B–C ); two internal, annular rings of perisarc flanking the mesial inferior nematotheca ( Fig. 3D ), two others, more or less distinct, flanking the lateral nematothecae ( Fig. 3E, 3H ), and 0–1 subterminal, distally ( Fig. 3F ).

Hydrothecae conical, elongated, fully adnate, aperture circular, rim smooth, distinctly emarginated at junction with the internode behind, aperture set transversely to internodal axis, abaxial wall relatively thick, straight to slightly convex, adaxial wall straight or slightly concave, thickened laterally at junction with the internode behind ( Fig. 3B–C, 3H , 5B ); one mesial inferior nematotheca proximally on the internode on a distinct ledge, not reaching the hydrothecal base ( Fig. 3D ); one pair of lateral nematothecae arising from level of hydrothecal rim from small though distinct apophyses ( Fig. 3G–H ); one mesial superior nematotheca, borne on a subterminal prominence of internode above the hydrotheca ( Fig. 3F ); mesial nematothecae comparatively longer than their lateral counterparts; all nematothecae of a colony movable, conical, bithalamic, lower chamber elongated, narrowing proximally, upper chamber shallow and broad, rim circular and smooth, on an articulation of thinner perisarc ( Fig. 3F, 3H ). Hydranths contracted inside hydrothecae.

Gonosome composed of up to eight phylactocarps per colony; phylactocarps up to 35 mm long, arising from a short, distinct pedicel on distal portions of cladia-bearing branches ( Fig. 4A ); bearing up to 70 stacked verticils composed of three equidistant ramuli; verticils decussately-arranged, forming six longitudinal rows of ramuli ( Fig. 5D ); ramuli of a given whorl alternately positioned in spaces between those of neighboring whorls ( Fig. 4B ); ramuli hollow, with distal, circular apertures; dichotomously-branched twice, arching over gonothecae, and protecting them due to the presence of nematothecae (at least one per bifurcation and one towards the base of fork) ( Fig. 4B–C ); occasionally, a hydrotheca at the tips of branches ( Fig. 4D ); in some phylactocarps the ends of ramuli reaches the upper whorl ( Fig. 4C ).

Gonothecae arise from bases of ramuli, 0–3 per whorl ( Fig. 4E–F ); reniform, aperture circular, latero-distal, operculum circular and ofter missing, wall opposite to aperture longer than opposite one and convex in shape; gonothecae filled with an ovoid, dark mass of tissue ( Fig. 4C, 4E–F, 4G ).

Distribution. Off the Dry Tortugas (ca. 24°37’N, 82°55’W, 45 m), Florida, USA ( Versluys 1899), off Margarita Island (ca. 11° N, 64° w, 31–40 m), Nueva Esparta, Venezuela ( Fraser 1947), and coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil (4°44’53.7”S, 36°25’27.4”W, 65 m) (present study).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Preserved colony of Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899 (MZUSP 8695). Scale bar: 1 cm.

FIGURE 3. Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899. A. Distal portion of a cladia-bearing branch. B. Proximal-most cladial internode, showing its hydrotheca set in its middle part. C. Regular cladial internode with its hydrotheca (and associated nematothecae) placed proximally. D. Mesial inferior nematotheca and internal perisarcal rings below the hydrotheca (arrow). E. Internal perisarcal ring near the hydrothecal rim (arrow). F. Mesial superior nematotheca and internal perisarcal rings above nematotheca (arrow). G. Pair of lateral nematothecae. H. Hydrotheca placed on the proximal half of an internode and one lateral nematothecae arising from a small though distinct apophyses (arrow). Scale bars: A, E, F, G, H =100 µm; B−D = 200 µm.

FIGURE 4. Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899. A. Phylactocarp given off (distally) from a cladia-bearing branch. B. Apical view of a portion of phylactocarp showing two stacked whorls of three nematothecate (arrows) ramuli forming six longitudinal rows. C. Detail of the gonosome with its bifurcated ramuli and gonothecae. D. Distal portions of ramuli provided with hydrothecae, open tips and nematothecae (arrow). E. Gonotheca arising from the base of a ramulus. F. Distal portion of the gonosome, showing the insertion of gonothecae. G. Detached gonotheca, filled with an ovoid, dark-colored mass of tissue. Scale bars: A= 0,5 cm; B = 100 µm; C−G = 200 µm.

FIGURE 5. Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899. A. Alternating hydrocladia given off from cladia-bearing branch. B. Lateral view of a cladial internode with its hydrotheca and associated nematothecae. C. The same in frontal view. D. Whorl of ramuli. Scale bars: A−E 200 µm.

Tables

TABLE 2. Comparative measurements of Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899 and C. gracilis Fewkes, 1881, in µm (un-

	Callicarpa chazaliei Versluys, 1899	Callicarpa gracilis Fewkes, 1881
Source	Present study	Galea et al. (2021) - unbranched morphotype	Galea et al. (2021) - branched morphotype
Stem
- Colony, height	24 cm	8 cm	22 cm
- stem, diameter of the main tube	438–660	ca. 200	190–200
Hydrocladia
- internode length	639–795	400–480	485–535
- diameter at nodes	88–102	80–105	60–75
- distance between subsequent apophyses	670–710		1780–2195
- internodes per hydrocladium	Up to 25	Up to 30	Up to 16
Hydrothecae
- abaxial wall, length	221–267	190–200	210–230
- adaxial wall, length	194–206	180–185	175–190
- diameter at rim	88–110	105–110	85–100
- base width	40–60	55–60	40–50
Mesial inferior nematothecae
- length	68–83	100–115	100–115
- diameter at rim	34–42	40–50	50–55
Lateral nematothecae
- length	70–90	125–130	100–105
- diameter at rim	42–50	45–50	55–60
Mesial superior nematothecae
- length	70–77	absent	absent
- diameter at rim	36–44	absent	absent
Gonosome
- length	0.3–3.5 cm	1.9 cm
- whorls number	3–70	44
- length of ramuli	<815		865–1100
- nematothecae, length	77–90
- nematothecae, diameter at rim	35–44
- distance between whorls	270–374
- first bifurcation, base diameter	174–190
Gonothecae
- length	445–670		ca. 480
- maximum width	281–429		ca. 235
- diameter at aperture	180–200		ca. 145