Thagria colorata, NIELSON, 2013

NIELSON, M. W., 2013, <strong> New records of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic sea anemones (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria and Corallimorpharia) from the Weddell Sea, Antarctic Peninsula, and Scotia Arc </ strong>, Zootaxa 3625 (1), pp. 1-105 : 47-49

Thagria colorata , sp. nov.

( Plate 1D , Figs. 22–28 )

Length. Male 8.00–8.50 mm; female unknown

External morphology. Moderately large, robust, colorful species. General color orange and black with some ivory markings; head with 3 transverse bands, anterior margin black, medial ivory, basal orange; pronotum with 3 transverse bands, anterior black, medial ivory, basal dark brown with small ivory spots; mesonotum translucent in anterior half, marked with black and orange distally; forewings with numerous, orange and black markings of various shape and size, distal 1/3 with few ivory spots ( Plate 1D ); face banded; clypeus yellow with 3 light to dark brown bands, anterior margin dark brown, near middle light brown, near apical very narrow light band extending across lorae and genae; clypellus yellow. Head broadly narrower than pronotum, anterior margin broadly rounded; crown wider than eyes, slightly produced distally about ¼ entire median length, lateral margins convergent basally, slightly carinate, disk depressed medially; eyes large, semibulbous; pronotum short, nearly half as long as median length of crown, surface bullated; mesonotum large, about twice as long as pronotum; forewing typical; clypeus long, broad, lateral margins nearly parallel, excised near base of antennal sockets; clypellus short, base broad, inflated, wider than clypeus at transclypeal suture, constricted in apical half, apex rounded.

Male genitalia. Pygofer in lateral view with moderately long, broad caudoventral lobe, lobe with mesal fold ventrally near middle of ventral margin, caudodorsal margin with paired, moderately long digitate processes ( Fig. 22 ); segment X in lateral view with moderately long, curved, pointed ventral processes ( Fig. 22 ); aedeagus symmetrical, short, in lateral and dorsal views reaching to about middle of ventral paraphysis ( Figs. 23, 24 ); ventral paraphysis in dorsal view asymmetrical, in dorsal and lateral views with 2 spines, one subbasally on lateral margin, one medially on opposite lateral margin ( Figs. 23, 24 ); style moderately long, reaching to middle of ventral paraphysis, attenuated distally ( Figs. 25, 26 ); connective typical; dorsal connective in dorsobasal view broadly Ushape, rami attached to lateral ventral process of segment X, stem absent ( Fig. 27 ); subgenital plate typical, tuft of long, fine setae apically, few short setae on lateral margins ( Fig. 28 ).

Material examined. Holotype male. VIETNAM: Me Linh , 30–31.v. 2007, Leg P. Grootaert, ( IRSNB) . Paratypes, 2 males, same data as holotype ( IRSNB, MLBM) .

Etymology. The name of this species is descriptive for its close relationship to T. digitata Li in male genitalia features.

Remarks. From digitata to which it resembles in some features of the ventral paraphysis, colorata can be distinguished by the paraphysis which is narrowly tapered distally in apical third, thus lacking the subapical, circular excavation on the lateral margin present in digitata and by the sharply pointed pygofer processes.

Figures

PLATE 1. A–H. Thagria, dorsal habitus. (A) Thagria aenigmatis, sp. nov., holotype; (B) Thagria asperitas, sp. nov., holotype; (C) Thagria biretrorsa, sp. nov., holotype; (D) Thagria colorata, sp. nov., holotype; (E) Thagria coniunctionis, sp. nov., holotype; (F) Thagria constanti, sp. nov., holotype; (G) Thagria fidelitas, sp. nov., holotype; (H) Thagria freytagi, sp.

FIGURES 22–28. Thagria colorata, sp. nov. (22) pygofer and exposed ventral process of segment X, lateral view; (23) aedeagus and ventral paraphysis, dorsal view; (24) aedeagus and ventral paraphysis, lateral view; (25) style, dorsal view; (26) style, lateral view; (27) dorsal connective attached to part of ventral process of segment X, dorsobasal view; (28) subgenital plate, lateral view.