Cnemidocarpa irene, (HARTMEYER, 1906)

Monniot, Claude, 2002, Stolidobranch ascidians from the tropical western Indian Ocean, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 135 (1), pp. 65-120 : 96

CNEMIDOCARPA IRENE ( HARTMEYER, 1906)

Styela irene Hartmeyer, 1906 – Japan.

Cnemidocarpa irene: Monniot C. & Monniot F., 1994 – Cape Verde; Nishikawa, 1991: 96 – Japan and synonymy; Kott, 1998: 204 – Australia and synonymy. Material

Mozambique: Ibo Island, coll. C. Monniot, 1995.

This species is widely distributed in the Pacific Ocean and is also present in the Atlantic in the Antilles and Cape Verde. It was recorded in the Indian Ocean at Sri Lanka by Herdman (1906: 316) under the name Styela areolata Heller, 1878 , as Nishikawa concluded in 1991. The presence of C. irene at Ibo confirms its occurrence in the Indian Ocean.

CNEMIDOCARPA MARGARITIFERA MICHAELSEN, 1919 ( Fig. 24 )

Cnemidocarpa margaritifera Michaelsen, 1919: 67 , pl. 1, figs 17,18, t. fig. 10 – Red Sea; Monniot C., 1973: 53: fig. 2 – Red Sea .

Material

Mozambique: Ibo Island, coll.C. Monniot, 1995.

Description

The largest of the erect specimens is 2.5 cm in length. The beige tunic is resistant. There are red patches on the internal side of the siphons. The body wall is opaque and whitish in formalin. About 20 short oral tentacles were counted in three orders of size, well spaced on a high crest ( Fig. 24 ). The prepharyngeal band is a rod-like ridge. The small dorsal tubercle is protruding, with a C-shaped opening. The dorsal lamina is a high blade. A branchial formula on the right side is:

Figures

Figure 24. Cnemidocarpa margaritifera: specimen ventrally opened, branchial sac removed. Scale bar = 5 mm.