Jodoella koreensis, Yang & Seo & Gordon, 2018

Yang, Ho Jin, Seo, Ji Eun & Gordon, Dennis P., 2018, Sixteen new generic records of Korean Bryozoa from southern coastal waters and Jeju Island, East China Sea: evidence of tropical affinities, Zootaxa 4422 (4), pp. 493-518 : 505-506

Jodoella koreensis n. sp.

(Figs 22–25)

Etymology. Alluding to the only known provenance of the taxon.

Material examined. Holotype: NIBRIV0000805889, unique colony found at Jodo Island , South Sea, 24 August 2014, 80 m, collected by grab from RV Kuklipgongwon-yeoungu 1.

Description. Colony encrusting, multiserial, unilaminar, up to 38 mm across; white in dried state. Autozooids more or less elongate-rectangular, distal margin mostly straight, proximal end straight or tapered, zooids mostly a little wider midlength. Frontal shield non-pseudoporous, of low convexity, evenly textured with small tubercles, 8– 11 areolar-septular pores along each lateral margin. Orifice wider than long; anter more or less semicircular with slightly raised distal rim, sinus suboval, occupying middle third of proximal margin, its entrance flanked by angular condyles. Low, narrow peristomial rim borders orifice proximally.

Avicularia extremely rare, only two seen in entire large colony, adventitious, situated proximolateral to orifice of autozooid, transversely orientated, rostrum D-shaped, only a little larger than avicularian opesia, with thin crossbar.

Female zooids present as concentrated cluster in only one part of large colony, dimorphic, having orifices wider and longer than those of autozooids; sinus broader and shallower than in autozooid. Ooecium huge, bulbous, occupying most of frontal shield of autozooids and entire frontal shield of succeeding zooids, as long as wide or longer, densely and evenly pseudoporous and granular-tubercular; ectooecium membranous, supported proximally by thin edge of calcification that forms frontodistal rim of peristome.

Interzooidal communications via uniporous mural septula. Ancestrula not seen.

Measurements. ZL 374–499 (442) µm; ZW 191–303 (244) µm; OrL 88–114 (97) µm; OrW 97–163 (117) µm; ♀ OrL 83–105 (95) µm; ♀ OrW 110–163 (142) µm; AvL 93–97 (95) µm; AvW 60–64 (62) µm; OoL 231–280 (253) µm; OoW 251–311 (289) µm.

Remarks. Inasmuch as the type and only known locality of this new taxon is in Korea’s southern waters, near the northernmost part of the East China Sea and the western approaches to the Korea Strait, it is likely to occur also in Japanese and Chinese waters.

One other species of Robertsonidridae , Robertsonidra argentea ( Hincks, 1881) , is known from Korean waters, but only at Jeju Island ( Seo & Rho 1989; Seo 2005, 2011; Seo & Min 2009).

Distribution. Korea: Jodo Island, Korean South Sea, 80 m depth.