Chaperiopsis familiaris ( Hayward & Cook, 1983 ) Boonzaaier-Davids & Florence & Gibbons, 2020

Boonzaaier-Davids, Melissa K., Florence, Wayne K. & Gibbons, Mark J., 2020, Novel taxa of Cheilostomata Bryozoa discovered in the historical backlogs of the Iziko South African Museum, Zootaxa 4820 (1), pp. 105-133 : 109

Chaperiopsis familiaris ( Hayward & Cook, 1983) n. comb.

( Fig. 3A, B )

Chaperia familiaris Hayward & Cook, 1983: p. 23 , figs 3C–E, 7A.

Material examined. SAMC-A077585 (dry), FAL 84 ; SAMC-A077426 (dry), FAL 415 ; SAMC-A077435 (in ethanol) , SAMC-A077440 (in ethanol), FAL 432. Additional comparative material: ‘ Chaperia familiaris ’, SAMCA026415 (holotype), station SM 162 (32°55’S, 28°31’E), off Morgan’s Bay , Southeast Coast, South Africa, heavy dredge, depth 630 m, 25 May 1978 . SAMC-A026487 , station SM 163 (33°04.6’S, 28°06.6’E), off East London , Southeast Coast, South Africa, heavy dredge, depth 90 m, 26 May 1978 .

Remarks. Chaperiidae Jullien, 1888 comprises several genera of which the most diverse are Chaperia Jullien, 1888 and Chaperiopsis Uttley, 1949 (www. bryozoa.net, accessed 06 June 2020). The differences between these two genera are the absence of avicularia and ovicells in Chaperia— possessing internal brooding of embryos ( Ostrovsky et al. 2009)—while avicularia may be present or absent, and ovicells are present in all species of Chaperiopsis .

Chaperia familiaris Hayward & Cook, 1983 forms small encrusting patches on hard substrata including other bryozoans. It has hexagonal-shaped autozooids, rounded distally, with oval opesia, distinct occlusor laminae, no avicularia and two pairs of distolateral spines—typically, the distal pair is cylindrical and the proximal pair is forked. This species also has a distinct hemispherical ooecium that is wider than long, with a transversely oval frontal foramen (membranous area in non-cleaned specimens) ( Hayward & Cook 1983) ( Fig. 3A, B ). The presence of a prominent ooecium suggests that Chaperia familiaris fits better in Chaperiopsis .

Previously reported only from the Southeast Coast, the geographical distribution of C. familiaris n. comb. now includes False Bay on the South Coast at 48–630 m depth range .

Figures

FIGURE 3. A–B. Chaperiopsis familiaris n. comb. (SAMC-A026415) A. Group of zooids, some with ovicells (scale bar = 0.4 mm, magnified x120). B. Closer view of some ovicelled zooids (scale bar = 0.2 mm, magnified x250). C–F. Aspidostoma sarcophagus n. sp. (SAMC-A029067). C. Zooids and kenozooids with cryptocystal pits (scale bar = 0.5 mm, magnified x35). D. Close-up of the orifice (scale bar = 0.2 mm, magnified x150). E. Developing antler-like processes (scale bar = 0.2 mm, magnified x100). F. Ovicelled zooid with well-developed antler-like processes (zooid on the left) (scale bar = 0.4 mm, magnified x50).