Gigantoporidae, Bassler, 1935

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 : 251

Taxonomy of Gigantoporidae from Brazil

Gigantoporidae was recently characterized by Martha et al. (2020) as having encrusting or erect colonies, large zooids with a pseudoporous lepralioid wall, orifice with a wide proximal sinus and condyles, but without spines, and notably, a raised secondary orifice forming a tubular peristome and having adventitious avicularia and spiramen. Additionally, the peristomial ovicell was characterized as having a membranous ectooecium and a pseudoporous endooecium. Bock (2024) reports that the family comprises 49 species with representatives widely reported (mainly in the tropics). According to Vieira et al. (2008), only two species of Gigantoporidae were reported from the Brazilian coast, namely Gigantopora lyncoides and Aptonella violacea (= Cy. violacea n. comb.). While numerous studies have unveiled previously undocumented bryozoan biodiversity along the Brazilian coast (e.g., Almeida et al. 2015, 2021; Ramalho et al. 2018; Winston et al. 2014; Vieira et al. 2016), there have been no reports of any other gigantoporid species to date ( Vieira & Almeida 2024).

As mentioned earlier, A. violacea is now assigned to the bitectiporid genus Cycloperiella . Thus, the only gigantoporid reported from Brazil is Gi. lyncoides , the type species of the genus. This species is here described and imaged using SEM for the first time since its original description. Additionally, a new species of Cosciniopsis from Brazil is described below.