Edwardsia profunda, Daly, Marymegan & Ljubenkov, John C., 2008

Daly, Marymegan & Ljubenkov, John C., 2008, Edwardsiid sea anemones of California (Cnidaria: Actiniaria: Edwardsiidae), with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 1860, pp. 1-27 : 13-15

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.183642
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5663829
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/A431015F-FFB4-4B7B-DFCC-1017FD83F07B
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Edwardsia profunda
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Edwardsia profunda View in CoL sp. nov.

Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 , 8 View FIGURE 8 ; Table 2 View TABLE 2

Edwardsia californica ( McMurrich, 1913) View in CoL : pro parte Fautin 1998 Diagnosis. With large, clustered nemathybomes in longitudinal rows between macrocnemes. Length of whole animal in contraction 19–34 mm, diameter 4–5 mm.

Material examined. Holotype: CAS 175213, Los Angeles County, California, LA3 dumpsite station CN1, rep. 2, 425 m. Paratypes: CAS 175211, Monterey Bay, California, Southern Cross ALT 1 Sta. 1.1200s.1, 12Sep 1999, 500 m; CAS 175215, San Diego County, California, OCSD Historic Sta. B47, 28Aug 1983, 447 m; CAS 175214, San Diego County, California, OCSD Historic Sta. B41, 31Jul 1983, 303 m; SBMNH 422859, Santa Maria Basin, California, MMS Phase II Sta. R7, 34º52.90’N, 121º10.30’W, October, 1986, 565 m; SBMNH 422856, Pacific Ocean, Santa Maria Basin, California, MMS Phase I Sta. 78, 34º18.78’N, 120º49.30’W, 9Nov 1983, 762 m; SBMNH 422857, Santa Maria Basin, California, MMS Phase I Sta. 56, 4º30.32’N, 121º01.02’W, 5Jan 1984, 900 m (2 specimens).

External anatomy. Tentacles filiform, 14–16, retracted inside column in all specimens examined. Scapus with clusters of nemathybomes in broad longitudinal rows between macrocnemes ( Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 B). Periderm thin, fine, may be visible only in mesenterial furrows. Physa naked, bulbous, typically rosettelike, with pronounced mesenterial insertions ( Figs. 8 View FIGURE 8 A, D).

Internal anatomy and histology. Parietal and retractor muscles strong ( Figs. 8 View FIGURE 8 C, G). Retractor muscle branched on both surfaces of mesentery, with small pennon and numerous short branches on secondary surface of mesentery ( Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 C). Parietal muscle ovoid, with many lateral branches and relatively broad central lamella ( Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 G). Lateral branches of parietal muscle ramified, those closest to body wall grouped, attached to the mesentery by single, slightly longer lamella. No examined specimens contained gametes.

Nemathybomes large, forming clusters of multiple nemathybomes adjacent to one another; clusters sunken into mesoglea and protruding slightly into epidermis ( Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 B). Epidermis of scapus thin; mesoglea thick, bilayered, becoming thinner and homogenous proximally.

Cnidom. Spirocysts, basitrichs, microbasic p mastigophores, pterotrichs ( Figs. 8 View FIGURE 8 E–F; H–L; see Table 2 View TABLE 2 for size and distribution).

Etymology. The species epithet is an adjective based on the Latin root “profund,” referring to the habitat of the species, and should be translated as “the deep Edwardsia .”

Distribution and habitat. Slopes and basin floors of southern California and Monterey Canyon, at depths exceeding 300 m, in fine, highorganic content sediments.

Similar species. In having 16 tentacles and large, clustered nemathybomes, E. profunda resembles E. carlgreni Williams, 1981 , E. delapiae Carlgren & Stephenson, 1928 , and E. elegans Verrill, 1869 . These three species are known from intertidal and shallow shelf depths in the North Atlantic (Fautin 2007). The nemathybome nematocysts are considerably smaller in E. profunda than in E. elegans (67–84 and 67–101 μm: Carlgren 1931); the tentacle basitrichs are considerably longer in E. profunda than in E. delapiae (19–22 μm: Stephenson 1928) or E. carlgreni (17–19 μm: Carlgren 1931).

Remarks. The three deeperwater lots Fautin (1998) identified as E. californica (SBMNH 422856, 422857, 422858) belong to E. profunda .