Synnotum aegyptiacum ( Audouin, 1826 )

Almeida, Ana C. S., Souza, Facelucia B. C., Menegola, Carla & Vieira, Leandro M., 2017, Diversity of marine bryozoans inhabiting demosponges in northeastern Brazil, Zootaxa 4290 (2), pp. 281-323 : 291

Synnotum aegyptiacum ( Audouin, 1826)

( Figs. 27–28 )

Loricaria aegyptiaca Audouin, 1826: 243 ; Savigny, [1817]: pl. 13, figs. 4.1–4.5. Synnotum aegyptiacum: Tilbrook 2006: 65 , plate 8E–F (cum syn.); Gluhak et al. 2007: 399, figs. 3A–B; Vieira et al. 2008: 18; Almeida et al. 2015b: 3.

Material examined. UFBA 1601 , UFBA 2356–59 Camamu Bay, 13°53’S, 38°59’W, 18–20 m, coll . October 2012 (on sponge Bubaris sp.); UFBA 1615 , UFBA 2360 , Camamu Bay , 13°53’S, 38°59’W, 18–20 m, coll . October 2012 (on sponge Mycale angulosa ).

Remarks. Synnotum aegyptiacum has erect articulated colonies formed by autozooids more or less fusiform with a large uncalcified frontal area, sessile short and robust avicularia placed at distal zooidal corners and pedunculate bulbous distal avicularia, placed between autozooids. This species is supposedly widely distributed in warm tropical waters, frequently found associated with algae, hydrozoans and other bryozoans, shell fragments and rocks ( Osburn 1927; Marcus 1955; Shier 1964; Winston 1982b). Marcus (1955) reported colonies of S. aegyptiacum from southeast Brazil that were found anchored inside unidentified sponges. Colonies examined here were attached by rhizoids at the lateral surface of the rugose-textured sponges Bubaris sp. and Mycale angulosa .

Distribution. Circumtropical. Brazil: Fernando de Noronha, Alagoas, Bahia, Espírito Santo and São Paulo ( Vieira et al. 2008; Almeida et al. 2015b).

Figures

FIGURES 24 – 29. 24 – 25. Nellia tenella, UFBA 1602. 24, Close-up of autozooids; 25, Detail of autozooid and paired avicularia. 26. Nellia tenella, MNHN IB- 2008 - 4546, syntype. Detail of autozooids showing gymnocystal and cryptocystal calcification, pores at the basal wall and paired small oval avicularia. 27 – 28. Synnotum aegyptiacum, UFBA 1601. 27, Autozooids with sessile and pedunculated avicularia; 28, Close-up of sessile avicularia. 29. Canda alsia, UFBA 1192, erect branch showing autozooids, scuta, spines, vibracular chambers and an ovicell. Scale bars: 24, 26, 29 = 200 µm; 25 = 50 µm; 27 – 28 = 100 µm.