Acryptolaria pulchella (Allman, 1888)

(Figs 26; 30; 32I; Table 27)

Cryptolaria pulchella Allman, 1888: lvii, lxvii, lxviii, 40, 41, plate 19 figs 2, 2a.

Acryptolaria pulchella – Peña Cantero et al. 2007: 261-263, figs 13, 16E, 18E, tab. XIII.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Philippines. MUSORSTOM 3, stn DR 117, 12°31.2’- 12°31.3’N, 120°39.3’- 120°39.5’E, 92-97 m, 3.VI.1985, 2 stems up to 40 mm high, in addition 1 incipient stem c. 5 mm high on sponge, and two fragments up to 8 mm long (RMNH-Coel. no. 31528).— Stn CP 131, 11°36.6’S, 121°43.10’E, 111-113 m, 5.VI.1985, 6 stems up to 60 mm high (MNHN-Hy.2009-0212); 1 fragment c. 15 mm long with coppinia on slide (RMNH-Coel no. 35422, slide 1664); 2 slides (MNHN-Hy.2009-0157; MNCN 2.03 /401) .

ECOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION. — Acryptolaria pulchella was known only from Honolulu, Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean, where it was found at depths between 36 and 72 m (Allman 1888). Our material was collected at depths from 92 to 113 m on sponges, in the Philippines.

DESCRIPTION

Stems strongly polysiphonic and up to 60 mm high. Branching irregular, but sometimes alternate and in one plane (Fig. 32I), branches straight (Fig. 26A).

Hydrothecae alternate, approximately in one plane (Fig. 26A), tubular, cylindrical from aperture to roughly the middle of their length; diameter decreasing in basal half (Fig. 26 A-C). Hydrotheca smoothly curved outwards; adcauline wall adnate for about two-thirds of its length (adnate/free ratio c. 1.9), convex throughout, though occasionally basally straight; abcauline wall concave. Hydrothecal aperture circular, directed upwards, forming an angle of c. 30° with long axis of branch. Rim even, slightly everted, with a few short renovations.

Large nematocysts relatively large and fusiform (Fig. 30).

REMARKS

Although Allman (1888) indicated that the gonosome was not known, the holotype examined by Peña Cantero et al. (2007) had coppiniae which were subsequently described by these authors. The coppinia present in our material is in complete agreement with that description. Peña Cantero et al. (2007) characterized this species by the relatively short and wide hydrothecae, adnate to the branches by most of the adcauline hydrothecal wall, and by the large nematocysts. Our material is in complete agreement, apart from having hydrothecae with a relatively longer free part.