Cigclisula turrita (Smitt, 1873)

(Fig. 11, Table 3)

Lepralia turrita Smitt 1873: 66, pl. 6, figs 226–228. [Florida]

Holoporella turrita: Canu & Bassler 1923: 179, pl. 46, fig. 1. [Pleistocene, Mount Hope, Panama]

? Holoporella turrita: Hastings 1930: 732, pl. 7, fig. 73. [Galápagos Islands]

Cigclisula turrita: Harmer 1957: 419 (in part), pl. 69, figs 22, 27. [Puerto Rico]

? Trematooecia turrita: Powell 1971: 773 . [Panama Canal]

Cigclisula turrita: Banta & Carson 1977: 400, figs 4E, 7. [Costa Rica]

Cigclisula turrita: Winston 1982: 147, fig. 79. [Florida]

Trematooecia turrita: Winston 2005: 105, figs 291–297. [Florida]

Not Cellepora turrita: Ridley 1881: 55 . [Espírito Santo, Brazil]

Not Lepralia turrita: Waters 1913: pl. 73, fig. 10. [Cargados Island, East Africa]

Not Holoporella turrita: Osburn 1914: 217 . [Tortugas Island, Florida; = Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923)]

Not Holoporella turrita: Osburn 1927: 131 . [Curaçao Island, Caribe; = Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923)]

Not Holoporella turrita: Canu & Bassler 1928a: 145, text-fig. 33C, D. [Gulf of Mexico; = Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923)]

Not Holoporella turrita: Canu & Bassler 1929: 420, pl. 59, figs 1–5, text-fig. 164A–C. [Philippines; = Trematooecia clivulata Tilbrook, 2006]

Not Holoporella turrita: Canu & Bassler 1930b: 74, pl. 5, figs 10–16. [Tunis; = Trematooecia clivulata Ayari & Taylor, 2008 in Ayari et al. 2008]

Not Trematooecia turrita: Osburn 1940: 458, pl. 8, fig. 72. [Guanica Harbor, Puerto Rico; Tortugas Island, Florida; Curaçao Island, Caribe; = Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923)]

Not Trematooecia turrita: Winston 1984: 32, figs 67–68. [Belize; = Cigclisula winstonae n. sp.]

Not Cigclisula cf. turrita: Håkansson & Winston 1985: 130, fig. 5B. [South Hutchinson Island, Florida; = Cigclisula psammophila (Winston & Håkansson, 1986)]

Not Cigclisula turrita: Zabala & Maluquer 1988: 159, fig. 443. [Mediterranean;? Trematooecia clivulata Ayari & Taylor, 2008]

Not Trematooecia turrita: Winston & Wollacott 2009: 285, fig. 33. [Barbados; = Cigclisula winstonae n. sp.]

Material examined. Syntypes: MCZ # 92, Lepralia turrita, F. A. Smitt det., 1873, Florida, April 3, 1869, Cast No. 3, 80m. Additional specimens: USNM 68708, Holoporella turrita, F. Canu & R.S. Bassler det., 1923, Pleistocene, Mount Hope, Panama . USNM 603762, Holoporella turrita (Smitt), Fowey Light, Miami, Florida, 73 m ; USNM 603763, Holoporella turrita (Smitt), Albatross Station 2639, Straits of Florida, 102 m.

Description. Colony encrusting, uni- to multilaminar, forming small mounds. Zooids squatly vasiform, irregularly polygonal in outline, as long as wide, delimited by distinct grooves. Frontal shield heavily calcified, irregularly punctured by 14–41 pseudopores. Primary orifice centered, deep, longitudinally oval with arcuate anter and concave poster delimited by 2 down-curved condyles at about one-third orifice length. Secondary orifice frequently surrounded by 4–5 (usually 4) truncate tubercles. Suboral avicularium absent. Frontal avicularia small, elliptical, 1–2 per zooid, placed at zooidal proximal margin, between or at ends of tubercles; serrated distal rostral margins. Interzooidal avicularia smaller than zooids, short, rostrum tongue-shaped, longer than wide, proximal edge rectangular and distal edge straight; calcified palate occupies less than half of rostrum; foramen pentagonal. Ooecium subglobose, inclined toward zooid surface, sometimes bearing tubercles and avicularia; ectooecium with longitudinal band of 25–38 irregular pseudopores.

Remarks. Smitt (1873) stated that the ooecium of Lepralia turrita was globose and medially perforated by ‘pores’ (= pseudopores). However, species with different types of ooecium (with a single frontal membranous window) have frequently been identified as L. turrita (Waters 1913; Osburn 1914, 1927, 1940; Canu & Bassler 1928a, 1929; Zabala & Maluquer 1988). Harmer (1957) suggested that two ectooecial morphologies occur in the same species: the median slit-like membranous window occurs in young ooecia and pseudopores are found in old ooecia. This condition, however, has never been seen in the same colony and since Harmer (1957) based this observation on different specimens, it is doubtful that he was talking about a single species, but two or more different species.

Osburn (1940) erected Trematooecia based on specimens that he named Trematooecia turrita and attributed to Smitt’s species. His description and the specimens examined, however, all conform to Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923) (see remarks under Trematooecia and T. aviculifera). Despite the presence of solid tubercles around the secondary orifice there are many differences between both species. Trematooecia aviculifera has a transversely D-shaped primary orifice lacking condyles, the suboral avicularium is common and frontal avicularia are absent, whereas Smitt’s L. turrita has a longitudinally oval primary orifice with stout condyles, the suboral avicularium is absent and frontal avicularia are common. The ectooecium, however, comprises the most conspicuous difference between these species: a frontal semicircular window (considered by as diagnostic of Trematooecia) in T. aviculifera and a longitudinal band of irregular pseudopores (considered by us as diagnostic of Cigclisula) in C. turrita . Our conclusion is that Smitt’s L. turrita is better placed in Cigclisula .

Over the years, many specimens from different localities including Brazil (Ridley 1881), Galápagos (Hastings 1930) and the Panama Canal (Powell 1971) have been attributed to L. turrita Smitt; only reexamination of these will determine their taxonomic position. The single specimen reported by Ridley (1881) differs from C. turrita in colonial morphology (erect and branched in Ridley’s specimen, encrusting in C. turrita), number of peristomial tubercles (2–4 in Ridley’s specimen, 4–5 in C. turrita), presence of avicularia on the tubercles and around the secondary orifice (present in Ridley’s specimen, lacking in C. turrita), and shape of interzooidal avicularia (spatulate in Ridley’s specimen, linguiform in C. turrita). Part of the material reported by Ridley (1881) may be conspecific with a specimen from Cabo Frio, Brazil (Winston et al. in press). Specimens studied by Hastings (1930) differ from C. turrita in the presence interzooidal avicularia (absent in Hastings’s specimens and present in C. turrita) and morphology of oooecia (immersed in Hastings’s specimens, prominent and inclined toward the zooid surface in C. turrita). Specimens reported by Powell (1971) were not described or illustrated, but he made reference to Hastings specimens that, as discussed above, are distinct from those of Smitt’s L. turrita .

Cigclisula turrita is characterized by the presence of 4–5 solid tubercles around the secondary orifice, interzooidal avicularia with linguiform rostrum and subglobose ooecia. Two other species of Cigclisula have encrusting colonies and subglobose ooecia: C. areolata and C. porosa . Cigclisula turrita differs from C. areolata in the irregularly punctured frontal shield (that of C. areolata is uniformly punctured), longitudinally oval primary orifice (transversely D-shaped in C. areolata), presence of tubercles around the secondary orifice (absent in C. areolata), absence of suboral avicularia (present in C. areolata), and presence of frontal avicularia (absent in C. areolata). Cigclisula porosa differs from C. turrita in the uniformly punctured frontal shield (that of C. turrita is irregularly punctured), absence of peristomial tubercles (present in C. turrita) and absence of interzooidal avicularia (present in C. turrita).

Distribution. Pleistocene (Panama) to Recent (Northwest Atlantic: Florida to Costa Rica).