Trematooecia verticalis (Maplestone, 1910) n. comb.

(Figs 32–33, Table 7)

Cellepora verticalis Maplestone, 1910: 39, pls 7–9, figs 1–2. [South Australia]

Cigclisula verticalis: Hastings 1932: 433, text-fig. 13, K–M. [South Australia]

Material examined. Syntype: NHMUK 1910.9.19.1, Escharoides (Cellepora) verticalis (Maplestone), National Museum Melbourne, C.M. Maplestone det., Dr Verco, Adelaide, col., Backstairs Passage, South Australia, 14–24 ftm (25.6–43.9 m). Additional specimen : NMV [Uncatalogued specimen], Trematooecia verticalis, Australia .

Description. Colony erect, multilaminar, flabellate, with some vertical laminae. Zooids hexagonal, longer than wide, delimited by slightly raised margins. Frontal shield heavily calcified, marginally punctured by 16–22 pores, minutely tubercular. Primary orifice small relative to frontal shield, somewhat hoof-shaped, longer than wide, sunken, with arcuate anter and broader moderately concave poster delimited by 2 downcurved condyles at about one-third orifice length. Secondary orifice non-tubercular. Suboral avicularium elliptical, laterally placed, distally directed, of two sizes, one small, the other doubled-sized. Frontal avicularia small, elliptical, rare, single, placed at zooidal margins. Interzooidal avicularium absent. Ooecium subglobose, inclined toward zooid surface, minutely tubercular; ectooecium with slit-like membranous area.

Remarks. Maplestone (1910) described the ooecia as “globose, surface granulated; in the center of the frontal wall, above the aperture, is a large, long, upright, elliptical area (sometimes slightly irregular in shape), with a membranous covering”. The ectooecium is thus typical of Trematooecia as herein defined.

Trematooecia verticalis is distinguished from other Trematooecia by: erect, multilaminar, flabellate colonies, marginally punctured frontal shield, subglobose ooecium and an ectooecium with a slit-like membranous area resembling that in T. gemmea; its differs in lacking peristomial tubercles and having a suboral avicularium.

Distribution. Pacific: Australia.