Herdmania pallida, (HELLER, 1878)

Kott, Patricia, 2002, The genus Herdmania Lahille, 1888 (Tunicata, Ascidiacea) in Australian waters, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 134 (3), pp. 359-374 : 369-371

HERDMANIA PALLIDA ( HELLER, 1878) ( FIG. 5B–E)

Cynthia pallida Heller, 1878: 14 (part, not specimens from Jamaica). Herdman, 1881: 60; 1882: 143; 1886: 405. Traustedt (1885): 35.

Rhabdocynthia pallida: Herdman, 1891: 575 ; 1906: 308.? Sluiter, 1898a: 7; 1904 54; 1905a: 102; 1905b: 14.

Halocynthia pallida: Michaelsen, 1905: 83 . Hartmeyer, 1906: 4.

Pyura pallida: Michaelsen, 1908: 269 . Van Name, 1918: 76.

Pyura momus pallida: Michaelsen, 1918a: 10 ; 1918b: 30 (part, not Atlantic records); 1921: 1;?1934: 133

Herdmania momus: Tokioka, 1952: 137 ; 1961: 132. Kott & Goodbody, 1982: 548. Abbott et al., 1997: 51.

Pyura momus: Vasseur, 1967a: 119 .

Pyura momus galei Michaelsen & Hartmeyer, 1927: 194 . Hartmeyer & Michaelsen, 1928: 443

Herdmania momus galei: Kott, 1952: 281 (part, not AM Y1827 Y1829 and specimen from Tasmania, fig. 127: H. fimbriae ; not specimen from Shell Harbour: H. grandis ).

Rhabdocynthia ceylonica Herdman, 1906: 308 . Monniot & Monniot, 1989: 239.

Not Cynthia pallida: Traustedt, 1883: 119 , 133.

Not Rhabdocynthia pallida: Sluiter, 1898b: 25 .

Not Pyura momus pallida: Michaelsen, 1918b: 30 (part from Atlantic locations).

Not Pyura momus: Van Name, 1921: 454 ; 1930: 498.

Not Herdmania momus: Van Name, 1945: 341 . Tokioka, 1949: 61; 1953: 277.

Distribution

Previously Recorded. Western Australia (Dirk Hartog, WAM Z11764/1195.83; Jurien Bay, WAM Z11776/ 242.87 Kott, 1985). The species is recorded from South Africa ( Herdman, 1881, 1882; Sluiter, 1898a?; Michaelsen, 1934?). West Indian Ocean ( Heller, 1878; Sluiter, 1905a,b?; Michaelsen, 1918a,b, 1921; Vasseur, 1967b). West Indian Ocean ( Sluiter, 1898a,b?; Herdman, 1906; Michaelsen, 1908). Taiwan ( Michaelsen, 1908). South China Sea ( Kott & Goodbody, 1982). Japan ( Hartmeyer, 1906; Tokioka, 1953). Tropical West Pacific ( Heller, 1878; Tokioka, 1961; Vasseur, 1967a). Indonesia ( Sluiter, 1904?). Arafura Sea ( Tokioka, 1952). Fiji ( Herdman, 1881, 1882). Tahiti ( Heller, 1878): Philippines ( Van Name, 1918). Hawaii ( Abbott et al., 1997). Australia (Broome, Hartmeyer & Michaelsen, 1928).

Examined Material. Hong Kong (QM G12781 G12792 G12803 GH217, Kott & Goodbody, 1982). Queensland (Bowen, AMY1813, Kott, 1952).

Description

Specimens to 9 cm (see Herdman, 1906) in maximum dimension with tough, opaque test. Apertures, on conspicuous diverging siphons on upper surface about one-third of body width apart. Individuals white, laterally flattened in preservative. Dorsal tubercle large, occupying upper half of V-shaped peritubercular area, conspicuous slit with both horns spiralling in. Dorsal lamina with tusk-shaped, pointed, tapering languets along edge of narrow membrane. Circular muscles surround each siphon. About nine of 16 radiating longitudinal atrial muscles and ten of about 21 branchial ones cross one another in upper half of each side terminating over distal limb of gut loop on left and anterior to gonad on right. Branchial folds about eight or nine per side. On each side two or three internal longitudinal vessels between dorsal fold and dorsal midline. Anal rim smooth, bilabiate or only slightly indented.

Branched testis follicles along each side of long, straight or slightly sinuous ovarian tube. Single duct from each clump of testis follicles crosses surface of ovary to join central vas deferens, which opens on small papilla near large opening of female duct. Sometimes clumps of testis follicles crowded together forming a continuous band around periphery of ovary; but often isolated from each other, or irregularly distributed.

Remarks

Sluiter’s (1904) material from Indonesia (especially the specimens with transparent test) and from the West Indian Ocean and South Africa ( Sluiter, 1898a, 1905a,b) could be either the present species or H. momus (known from the same geographical range). Herdmania momus is known only from tropical locations, however, while the present species has been recorded further north to Japan and Taiwan. From South Africa, Herdman (1881, 1882) has reported specimens like the present species with similar gonads, dorsal lamina, dorsal tubercle and smooth anal border; and it is probable that Michaelsen’s (1934) specimen is conspecific, this being the only species known from South Africa. Tokioka (1961) has reported specimens with similar features from Noumea. Specimens 2.5 cm and 4.5 cm long from the Arafura Sea ( Tokioka, 1949) have eight or more internal longitudinal vessels between the mid-dorsal line and the dorsal fold on each side as in H. grandis . Although this is a high number for H. pallida , gonads, dorsal tubercle and anal border are similar, suggesting that variations in the number of dorsal internal longitudinal vessels are greater than previously known.

Tokioka (1949, 1953, 1967) assigned specimens from Japan to H. momus , and though one ( Tokioka, 1953; pl. 68 fig. 6, specimen 110) has a similar gonad, they all are said to have about 12 anal lobes which distinguishes them from the present species. From Sri Lanka, the large specimens of Rhabdocynthia pallida: Herdman (1906) appear to be correctly assigned to the present species. The holotype of R. ceylonica Herdman, 1906 from the same location, re-examined by Monniot & Monniot (1989), also has gonads, and a simple dorsal tubercle like the present species.

The present species most resembles H. grandis , having similar gonads, with a common vas deferens opening on the oviduct near the large female opening and lacking oviducal hood or membranes associated with the gonoducal openings. It has a smooth anal opening (which is rare in H. grandis ), its dorsal tubercle has a double spiral opening (not convoluted as in H. grandis ), dorsal languets are tusk-like rather than laterally flattened (as in H. grandis ), longitudinal body muscles are confined to the body wall anterior to the gonads (rather than occupying the whole side of the body as in H. grandis ) and testis follicles are around the periphery of the ovary, sometimes in clumps (rather than on top of the ovary as in H.