Cosciniopsis viridis, Larré & Almeida & Vieira, 2024

Larré, Igor R. N. M., Almeida, Ana C. S. & Vieira, Leandro M., 2024, On some colorful bryozoans from Brazil: reevaluation of Aptonella violacea Canu & Bassler, 1928 and a new species of Cosciniopsis Canu & Bassler, 1927, Zootaxa 5506 (2), pp. 245-260 : 254-256

Cosciniopsis viridis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:226D918D-052B-4445-BFFC-EF9446422E4C

( Fig. 5 )

Material examined. Holotype: UFPE 3001 , Recife de coral de Jatiúca, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, collected in 2006, 09º 39’ 10’’ S, 35º 41’ 40’’ W, 0–3 m. Paratypes: UFPE 3051.1 , Recife de coral de Jatiúca, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, collected in 2006, 09º 39’ S, 35º 41’ W, 0–3 m ; UFPE 3052 , UFPE 3053 , UFPE 3054.4 , UFPE 3055.3 , UFPE 3056 , UFPE 3057 , UFPE 3059 , UFPE 3237 , Recifes de coral da Piscina dos Amores, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, collected in 2007, 09º 40’ 40’’ S, 35º 42’ 10’’ W, 0–5 m ; UFPE 3058 , UFPE 3060 , Recifes de coral da Piscina dos Amores, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, collected in 2006, 09º 40’ 40’’ S, 35º 42’ 10’’ W, 0–5 m ; UFPE 3061 , Recife de coral de Jatiúca, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, collected in 2002, 09º 39’ S, 35º 41’ W, 0– 3 m. Additional specimens: UFPE 888 , UFPE 1662 , Bacia Potiguar , Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, collected by Petrobras, 04º 49’ 00’’ – 05º 10’ 00’’ S , 36º 10’ 00’’ – 36º 50’ 00’’ W, unknown depth; UFPE 3062 , Recife de Pajuçara , Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, collected in 2006, 09º 40’ 49’’ S, 35º 43’ 05’’ W, 0–3 m ; UFPE 3063 , Recife de Riacho Doce , Alagoas, Brazil, collected in 2008, 09º 34’ 42’’ S, 35º 39’ 19’’ W, 0–2 m ; UFPE 3137 , Canopus stn. 78, Pernambuco, Brazil, collected in 1965–1966, 08º 34’ 00’’ S, 34º 44’ 00’’ W, 58 m ; UFPE 3139.1 , UFPE 3140 , UFPE 3141 , Canopus stn. 111, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, collected in 1965–1966, 04º 37’ 00’’ S, 36º 44’ 00’’ W, 36 m ; UFPE 3142 , Canopus stn. 118, Pernambuco, Brazil, collected in 1965–1966, 08º 56’ 00’’ S, 34º 50’ 00’’ W, 51 m ; UFPE 3143 , Akaroa stn. 55, Alagoas, Brazil, collected in 1965, 09º 41’ 25’’ S, 35º 18’ 10’’ W, 51 m.

Diagnosis. Cosciniopsis with bright green zooids. Zooids with convex frontal wall, nodular, with several small pseudopores; distinct marginal pores. Adventitious avicularium present, latero-oral, small, with rounded rostrum. Ovicell hyperstomial, cleithral, typically dark green to brownish in color. Operculum distinctly brown.

Type locality. Maceió , Alagoas, Brazil .

Etymology. The specific epithet viridis is derived from the Latin word, which means green, referring to the characteristic green cystid.

Description. Colonies with bright green zooids ( Fig. 5A ), encrusting, uni to multilaminar ( Fig. 5B, C ), spotlike, growing under hard substrata. Autozooids irregularly polygonal (1.020–1.171– 1.276 mm long, n = 15, SD = 0.068; 0.663–0.844– 0.944 mm wide, n = 15, SD = 0.078) ( Fig. 5B, C ). Frontal wall convex, nodular, with several small pseudopores regularly spaced and distinct marginal pores ( Fig. 5B, C ). Internal frontal wall without ring scar ( Fig. 5F ). Primary orifice (0.247–0.278– 0.303 mm long, n = 15, SD = 0.015; 0.235–0.261– 0.278 mm wide, n = 15, SD = 0.013) with arched distal margin, proximolateral condyles directed towards the proximal region, and a proximal shallow V-shaped margin ( Fig. 5D ). Peristome slightly raised, thick, nodular, dark green to brownish in color, more raised distally than proximally. Adventitious avicularia sometimes present, latero-oral, single, small (0.062–0.080– 0.093 mm long, n = 15, SD = 0.008; 0.068–0.081– 0.093 mm wide, n = 15, SD = 0.006), directed slightly proximolaterally, with a rounded rostrum; crossbar complete ( Fig. 5D ). Ovicell hyperstomial, becoming immersed (0.494–0.583– 0.679 mm long, n = 10, SD = 0.055; 0.556–0.652– 0.729 mm wide, n = 10, SD = 0.045), cleithral, with pseudopores on frontal surface and marginally; ooecium with nodular frontal surface similar to the autozooids, green to brownish in color ( Fig. 5E ).

Remarks. The genus Cosciniopsis currently comprises 11 extant and two fossil species. Cosciniopsis viridis sp. nov. is easily recognized by its bright green cystid [brown in C. lonchaea , C. onucha ( Kirkpatrick, 1890) , and C. castanea Cook, 1985 ; purple in C. declivis ; blue in C. caerulea ( Canu & Bassler, 1927) ; and yellowish in C. coelatus Canu & Bassler, 1927 )]. Among the recent species, C. castanea , described from Ghana, is morphologically similar to C. viridis sp. nov. by having a nodular frontal wall with few pseudopores, a small latero-oral avicularium with a rounded rostrum and an orifice with a shallow V-shaped proximal border. However, C. castanea may have larger zooids (up to 1.40 mm long in C. castanea and up to 1.27 mm long in C. viridis sp. nov.), a wider proximal orifice region, and a brown cystid.

In addition to the color of the cystid, Cosciniopsis viridis sp. nov. is morphologically distinct from other species regarding the latero-oral avicularia, peristome, orifice and frontal wall. Cosciniopsis lonchaea has a drop-shaped avicularium with an acute rostrum and C. vallata ( Uttley & Bullivant, 1972) , described from New Zealand, has paired latero-oral avicularia with a triangular and slightly raised rostrum. Cosciniopsis onucha , from the South China Sea, C. globosa Harmer, 1957 , from the Philippines, and C. crassilabris ( Hincks, 1884b) , from the West Coast of Canada, have a raised peristome (shallower in C. viridis sp. nov.). The species Cosciniopsis australis ( Waters, 1889) described from China exhibits distinct orificial dimorphism and a more pseudoporous frontal wall when compared with C. viridis sp. nov..

The status of the two fossil species described from India, Cosciniopsis parilis Guha & Gopikrishna, 2007 and C. tuberosa Guha & Gopikrishna, 2007 , are here considered uncertain due to the absence of ovicells. These species also have distinct avicularia and frontal wall when compared with C. viridis sp. nov..

Distribution. Cosciniopsis viridis sp. nov. is only known from Brazil (Alagoas, Pernambuco, and Rio Grande do Norte) and is usually found encrusting hard substrata.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Cosciniopsis viridis sp. nov. A. UFPE 3053, Alagoas, Brazil. B–E. UFPE 3001, Holotype, Alagoas, Brazil. F. UFPE 3141 Can stn. 111. A. Colony and its greenish cystid. B, C. General view of the colony. D. Detail of the orifice and adventitious avicularium. E. Ovicelled zooid. F. Internal view of the frontal wall. Scale bars: A = 1 cm; B = 600 µm; C = 400 µm; D = 120 µm; E = 400 µm; F = 250 µm.