Trematooecia aviculifera ( Canu & Bassler, 1923 )

Almeida, Ana C. S., Souza, Facelucia B. C., Menegola, Carla M. S., Sanner, Joann & Vieira, Leandro M., 2014, Taxonomic review of the family Colatooeciidae Winston, 2005 (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata), with description of seven new species, Zootaxa 3868 (1), pp. 1-61 : 35-40

Trematooecia aviculifera ( Canu & Bassler, 1923)

( Figs 19–24 , Table 5 )

Holoporella turrita: Osburn 1914: 217 . [ Tortugas Island, Florida]

Not Lepralia turrita Smitt 1873: 66 , pl. 6, figs 226–228. [Florida; = Cigclisula turrita , see above]

Holoporella aviculifera Canu & Bassler, 1923 : pl. 46, fig. 2. [Pleistocene, Mount Hope, Panama Canal]

Holoporella turrita: Osburn 1927: 131 . [ Curaçao Island, Caribe]

Holoporella turrita: Canu & Bassler 1928a: 145 , text-fig. 33C–D. [Gulf of Mexico]

Trematooecia turrita: Osburn 1940: 458 , pl. 8, fig. 72. [Guanica Harbor, Puerto Rico; Tortugas Island, Florida; Curaçao Island, Caribe]

? Trematooecia aviculifera: Powell 1971: 773 . [Margarita and. Galesta Island, Panama Canal]

Cigclisula aviculifera: Banta & Carson 1977: 402 , fig. 4F. [ Costa Rica, Caribe ]

Trematooecia aviculifera: Winston 1984: 31 , figs 65–66. [Florida, Caribe]

Trematooecia aviculifera: Winston 2005: 107 , figs 298–303. [Florida, Caribe]

Material examined. Holotype: USNM 68709 , Holoporella aviculifera, F. Canu & R. Bassler det., Pleistocene , Panama Canal . Additional specimens: USNM 603771 , Trematooecia turrita, Jan Thielbaai , Curaçao , approx. 21 m; USNM 603772 , Trematooecia turrita, R. Osburn det., 1908, Tortugas , Florida, 27 m; USNM 603773 , Acc. No. 208837, Trematooecia turrita, R. Osburn det., 1915, off Guanica Harbor , Puerto Rico , 55 m; USNM 603774 , Trematooecia turrita, R. Osburn det., 1920, Curaçao Bay; USNM 376606 , Trematooecia aviculifera, Carrie Bow Cay , Belize ; USNM 603775 , Trematooecia aviculifera , Belize , Carrie Bow Cay, CBC 14.5.75–1, 14– 38 m, B. Spracklin Coll; USNM 603776 , Trematooecia aviculifera , Curaçao ; USNM 603777 , Trematooecia aviculifera , Belize , Fisherman’s Cay; USNM 603778 , Trematooecia aviculifera, Saint Georges’s Cay , Belize ; USNM 603782 , CHE 618, Trematooecia aviculifera , Panama ; USNM 603284 , T.a. 17, Trematooecia aviculifera, J. Sanner det., Panama ; USNM 603285 , T.a. 8, Trematooecia aviculifera, J. Sanner det., Panama ; USNM 603286 , T.a. 3 and 4, Trematooecia aviculifera, J. Sanner det., Panama .

Description. Colony encrusting, uni- to multilaminar, the latter forming forming large mounds. Skeleton red. Zooids of initial layer subrectangular, those from frontally budded layers irregularly polygonal, longer than wide, limited by slightly raised lateral walls. Frontal shield heavily calcified, marginally punctured by 7–14 pseudopores. Primary orifice small relative to frontal shield, transversely D-shaped, wider than long, sunken, with arcuate anter and straight or weakly convex poster. No condyles. Secondary orifice surrounded by 4–6 (usually 4) whitish solid tubercles. Suboral elliptical avicularium laterally orientated. Interzooidal avicularium large, wider than long, rostrum obovate; calcified palate occupies more than half rostral length; foramen rounded. Ooecium subglobose, initially seen as horizontal on zooid surface before becoming partly immersed in secondary calcification, wider than long; ectooecium with frontal semicircular membranous area.

Remarks. According to Winston (2005), Smitt (1873) did not differentiate T. aviculifera from Celleporaria albirostris . Osburn (1940) also misidentified T. aviculifera as Trematooecia turrita ( Smitt, 1873) (= Cigclisula turrita ; Fig. 11 ), and erected the genus Trematooecia for this species. Both T. aviculifera and C. turrita species have heavily calcified, encrusting colonies, often with a tubercular secondary orifice. They are distinguished, however, by the morphology of ooecia and avicularia (see above, under Remarks on Trematooecia ).

Canu & Bassler (1923) described T. aviculifera based on a fossil specimen (USNM 68709; Fig. 19 ) from Panama Canal. They described small frontal avicularia, but none has been found in examined material. Trematooecia aviculifera is characterized by the transversely D-shaped orifice, suboral elliptical avicularium laterally directed and obovate interzooidal avicularium.

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Trematooecia aviculifera resembles Trematooecia osburni Marcus, 1955 , Trematooecia protecta Osburn, 1940 and Trematooecia ridleyi (Kirkpatrick, 1890) in having encrusting colonies, a marginally punctured frontal shield, globose ooecium and ectooecium with a frontal circular membranous area. Trematooecia aviculifera differs from T. osburni in the presence of tubercles around the secondary orifice and in having a suboral avicularium. Trematooecia aviculifera differs from T. protecta in the absence of condyles and frontal avicularia and in the position of the ooecium (inclined in T. protecta , horizontal in T. aviculifera ). Autozooids, suboral avicularia and ooecia are also shorter in T. protecta than in T. aviculifera ( Table 3 ). Trematooecia aviculifera differs from T. ridleyi in the size of the zooids and ooecium (all smaller in T. ridleyi ) and in the absence of frontal avicularia (conspicuous in T. ridleyi ).

Trematooecia aviculifera has been reported by some authors ( Canu & Bassler 1928a; Osburn 1914, 1927, 1940; Banta & Carson 1971; Winston 1984, 2005) from the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica. This species is probably one of the most abundant bryozoans on Caribbean coral reefs ( Winston 1984, 1986, 2005). Colonies grow from a single lamina to form large mounds that remain red even when dead ( Fig. 24 ). Because of the colony color and presence of tubercles, the species is also called “bleeding teeth bryozoan” ( Charpin 2014). Owing to some physical property of the calcification, the species has a fluorescent green coloration at depths below 7m ( Winston 1984), one of the reasons why T. aviculifera is easily noticed by divers.

Distribution. Pleistocene ( Panama) to Recent (Atlantic: Florida to Venezuela).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Cigclisula turrita (Smitt, 1873). A–D, MCZ # 92, syntype, Florida. A, part of encrusting colony. B, primary orifice. C, group of ovicelled zooids and elliptical frontal avicularia. D, ovicelled zooid and elliptical frontal avicularia. Scale bars: A, B = 400 µm; C = 40 µm; D = 100 µm.

FIGURE 19. Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923). A–D, USNM 68709, holotype, Panama Canal. A, encrusting colony. B, group of zooids and interzooidal avicularium. C, primary orifice and suboral avicularium. D, primary orifice. Scale bars: A = 500 µm; B = 200 µm; C, D = 100 µm.

FIGURE 20. Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923). A–D, USNM 603782, CHE 618, Panama. A, zooids at growing edge of colony. B, group of zooids with broken ovicells and interzooidal avicularium. Scale bars: A, B = 500 µm.

FIGURE 21. Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923). A–D, USNM 376606, Panama. A, B, group of zooids and ovicelled zooids. C, primary orifice. D, primary orifice and suboral avicularium. Scale bars: A = 500 µm; B = 200 µm; C, D = 100 µm.

FIGURE 22. Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923). A–D, USNM 603774, Curaçao. A, group of zooids. B, primary orifice. C, primary orifice and suboral avicularium. D, ovicelled zooid. Scale bars: A = 200 µm; B, C = 100 µm; D = 200 µm.

FIGURE 23. Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923). A–D, USNM 603778, Honduras. A, group of zooids. B, primary orifice and suboral avicularium. C, D, ovicelled zooid. Scale bars: A = 500 µm; B = 100 µm; C, D = 200 µm.

FIGURE 24. Trematooecia aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1923). A, USNM 603284, Panama; B, USNM 603285, Panama; C, USNM 603286, Panama. A–C, unilamellar and multilamellar colonies retaining red pigmentation. Scale bars = 1 cm.