Microporella collaroides, Harmelin, Jean-Georges, Ostrovsky, Andrew N., Cáceres-Chamizo, Julia P. & Sanner, Joann, 2011

Harmelin, Jean-Georges, Ostrovsky, Andrew N., Cáceres-Chamizo, Julia P. & Sanner, Joann, 2011, Bryodiversity in the tropics: taxonomy of Microporella species (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) with personate maternal zooids from Indian Ocean, Red Sea and southeast Mediterranean, Zootaxa 2798, pp. 1-30 : 7-9

Microporella collaroides n. sp.

( Fig. 3 A–F, Table 2 )

Material examined. Holotype: 2010-0003-0001 DPUV; on the coral Leptastrea sp., Jeddah, Red Sea, coll. A. Antonius. Paratype: 2010-0003-0002 DPUV, mounted on SEM stub, on the coral Leptastrea sp., Jeddah, Red Sea, coll. A. Antonius. Other material examined: Red Sea, Safaga Bay, station B3/2, sand between coral patches, 4 m, 2 colony fragments, 16 July 87; Safaga Bay, south to Ras Abu Soma, 20 m, one colony on coral piece, September 1992.

Etymology. In reference to the ‘personate’ collar, surrounding the zooidal orifice in the maternal zooid, and adjacent to the ooecium.

Description. Colony small, unilaminar. Autozooids pentagonal or oval, longer than broad (mean L/W = 1.35). Frontal shield poorly convex, ornamented with rounded grains, perforated by 52–86 pseudopores and 5–7 small, elongated or oval marginal pores. Primary orifice broader than long, D-shaped, distal edge with very narrow ‘wavy shelf’ and incidental very low and small ‘denticles’. Proximal edge with 13–19 low oval bars and a pair of low or pointed shoulder-shaped condyles at each corner, seen in the most of the zooids. Furrows between bars often extending to condyles. Oral spines thin, 4 or 5, more rarely 6 in number. Ascopore proximal to orifice by a distance about the half of the orifice length, round or oval, slightly compressed distally with prominent median process round, and 19–24 short and sharp denticles leaving a narrow C-shaped lumen free. It is surrounded by a prominent rim slightly more raised proximally. Avicularium single, sometimes missing, lateral or proximolateral to ascopore, orientated distolaterally or laterally; opesia moderate-sized; rostrum short, with narrow truncated tip. Ovicells with no visible oral spines, personate, i.e. with tall, arched, granular collar, distally adjacent to ascopore, raised over orifice and distally joined to smooth, arched rim on proximal edge of ooecium to form a complete peristome. In the paratype, ovicells with either fully or partially developed and even missing proximal collar were co-occurring. Entooecium globose, broader than long, coarsely granular, evenly ‘perforated’ with many ‘pseudopores’ of same size as those of frontal wall.

Remarks. This species recalls M. maldiviensis n. sp. in possessing personate ovicells, unpaired avicularia and also the ‘wavy’ relief of the orifice anter. In the latter species it is irregularly ‘denticulate’ with ‘denticles’ very low and rounded, whereas the orifice anter incidentally show tiny low ‘denticles’ in the former. The proximal orifice edge has a similar outline in these species too, but it is provided with well-developed parallel bars in M. collaroides n. sp., and smooth and slightly corrugated in M. maldiviensis n. sp.

Figures

FIGURE 3. M. collaroides n. sp., paratype specimen 2010 - 0003 - 0002 DPUV from Jeddah, Red Sea. A: part of the colony with non-ovicellate zooids and personate ovicell (below). B: part of the same colony with ovicells without personate structure. C: distal zooid with ooecium and personate maternal zooid with typical peristomial collar. D: latero-distal view of a maternal zooid showing the secondary orifice formed by the peristomial collar and entooecium with ‘ pseudopores’. E: distal half of a non-ovicellate autozooid with primary orifice, ascopore and avicularium. F: primary orifice with wavy distal edge, broad proximal edge bordered with oval bars and lateral condyles. Scale bars: A, C = 200 µm; B = 400 µm; D, E = 100 µm; F = 50 µm.

Tables

TABLE 2. Morphometrics (in µm) of specimens of M. collaroides n. sp. from Safaga Bay and Jeddah. Length (L) and width (W) of autozooid (Az), ovicell (Ov) and primary orifice (Or). Mean standard deviation, range and number of measurements (in brackets).

Safaga	Jeddah	Safaga + Jeddah
AzL 484.5± 40.1	465 ±59.9	471.9± 53.8
- 430–540 (11)	330–550 (20)	330–550 (31)
AzW 359.1± 36.5	402.5± 39.1	387.1 ±43.1
- 300–410 (11) OvL --	350–480 (20) 211.8 ±12.5	300–480 (31) 211.8± 12.5
- --	200–240 (11)	200–240 (11)
OvW --	262.7± 11.0	262.7 ±11.0
- --	250–280 (11)	250–280 (11)
OrL 75.5± 6.5	78.3± 4.4	77.3± 5.3
- 70–85 (11) OrW 98.2 ±6.0	70–85 (20) 103± 5.9	70–85 (31) 101.3± 6.3
- 90–110 (11)	95–120 (20)	90–120 (31)