Glossobalanus Spengel, 1893

Cameron, Christopher B. & Ostiguy, Angélica, 2013, Three new species of Glossobalanus (Hemichordata: Enteropneusta: Ptychoderidae) from western North America, Zootaxa 3630 (1), pp. 143-154 : 145

Genus Glossobalanus Spengel, 1893

Glossobalanus Spengel : van der Horst 1939.

Diagnosis. Only genital ridges are present, never genital wings. These ridges usually extend into the hepatic region. Gill slits are small. Hepatic caeca are arranged in two regular rows. The 'cauliflower organ' is absent. ( Glossobalanus ruficollis has neither genital ridges nor hepatic caeca, but it has a 'cauliflower organ'.) The central canals of the collar nerve cord may be well formed or may be reduced. The lateral septa are attached to the tips of the genital ridges (except in the case of G. marginatus ). Only primary gonads occur, but both dorsal and ventral gonads are present and open to the exterior usually on the tip of the genital ridge. A ciliated streak is found only on the left side of the gut in the abdominal region (except in G. hedleyi , which has both the right and the left).

Remarks. We provide an augmented summary of the sole species already described from the west coast of North America, Glossobalanus berkeleyi Willey, 1931 , and add to it new descriptions of three additional species from the same coast, G. williami , G. hartmanae ( Fig. 1 A) and Glossobalanus barnharti ( Fig. 1 B).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Photograph of fixed specimens of A, Glossobalanus hartmanae n. sp.; B, G. b a r n h a r t i n. sp.; C, G. m i n u t u s. Abbeviations: bg, branchiogenital region of trunk; c, collar; ct, caudal region of trunk; ht, hepatic trunk; p, proboscis. Scale bar = 5 mm.