Distaplia skoogi Michaelsen, 1924

Monniot, Françoise, 2012, Some ascidians from the southern coast of Madagascar collected during the “ AtimoVatae ” survey, Zootaxa 3197, pp. 1-42 : 32-33

Distaplia skoogi Michaelsen, 1924

( Figure 27A )

Distaplia domuncula Michaelsen, 1923: 15 fig. 3; Millar, 1955: 187 fig. 15.

Distaplia skoogi Michaelsen, 1924:331 nom nov for D. domuncula Michaelsen 1923 , South Africa. Millar 1962: 150 fig. 18. South Africa. Monniot & al 2001: 34 fig. 2C, 18A–C, South Africa

Stations. TR 7 (MNHN A3 DIS 102). TA 60 (MNHN A3 DIS 103).

The colony of st. TR 7 is made of 2 pedunculate lobes erect and close together on the substrate; the largest has a head 2.5cm wide on a stem 2.5 cm long. Circular systems occupy the whole colourless head. The peduncle wears some epibionts. The tunic is hard, cartilaginous. The thoraces ( Fig. 27A ) have a large languet. The brancial sac has parastigmatic vessels. The gut loop is widely opened, the stomach is long with longitudinal internal folds ( Fig. 27A ). A large pyloric ampulla lies in the gut loop. The gonads hang in a pouch behind the abdomen ( Fig. 27A ). Only immature larvae are present free in the tunic; an empty incubatory pouch can be seen in some zooids.

Another colony, 5cm long with a head 2.7cm wide, collected in st. TA 60 has the same aspect but is of a deep blue in formalin. All anatomic characters are the same as in colourless sample. The brooding pouch contains one larva. This sample is provisionally placed in the same species.

Distaplia skoogi was only reported from South Africa

Figures

FIGURE 27. A, Distaplia skoogi zooid and detail of another zooid. B, Distaplia stylifera, abdomen of a zooid. Scale bars A = 1 mm. B = 0.5 mm.