Vasignyella ovicellata, Vieira & Gordon & Correia, 2007

Vieira, Leandro M., Gordon, Dennis P. & Correia, Monica D., 2007, First record of a living ditaxiporine catenicellid in the Atlantic, with a description of Vasignyella ovicellata n. sp. (Bryozoa), Zootaxa 1582 (1), pp. 49-58 : 52-56

Vasignyella ovicellata n. sp.

(Figs 2–14, Table 1)

Material examined. Holotype. MZUSP 17286 ; shallow water, Sandstone Banks of Francês , Marechal Deodoro (South of Maceió), Alagoas State, Brazil, 9°46'33"S, 35°50'06"W; a colony with two ovicelled multizooidal internodes, collected 1 December 2005 by M.D. Correia on Scrupocellaria sp.

Paratypes. MZUSP 17287; same locality as holotype; infertile colony, collected 1 December 2005 by M.D. Correia on Amathia vidovici . NHM 2007.2.20.1; same locality as holotype; infertile colony, collected 1 December 2005 by M.D. Correia on Amathia vidovici . NHM 2007.2.20.2; same locality as holotype; infertile colony, collected 30 March 2006 by M.D. Correia on Scrupocellaria sp. LV 0005; same locality as holotype; infertile colony, collected 3 October 2005 by W.F.A. Barbosa on an ascidian. LV 0052; shallow water, Coral Reefs of Pajuçara, Maceió, Alagoas State, Brazil, 9°41'18"S, 35°42'10"W; infertile colony with a multizooidal internode, collected 20 September 2006 by M.D. Correia on rock. MZUSP 17374; shallow water, Coral Reefs of Pajuçara, Maceió, Alagoas State, Brazil, 9°41'18"S, 35°42'10"W; colony with several ovicells and multizooidal internodes, collected 4 November 2006 by M.D. Correia on rock. UFAL /BRY 0044; shallow water, Sobral Sewer Outfall, Maceió, Alagoas State, Brazil, 9°40'42"S, 35°45'12"W; infertile colony, collected 27 April 2006 by M.D. Correia on bryozoans. UFAL /BRY 0026; shallow water, Sobral Sewer Outfall, Maceió, Alagoas State, Brazil, 9°40'42"S, 35°45'12"W; infertile colony, collected 24 October 2006 by M.D. Correia on bryozoans. UFAL /BRY 0017; shallow water, Coral Reefs of Piscina dos Amores, Maceió, Alagoas State, Brazil, 9°40'48"S, 35°41'54"W; infertile colony, collected 3 November 2006 by M.D. Correia on rocks.

Etymology. Alluding to the discovery of ovicells in the genus.

Description. Colony erect, whitish-translucent, comprising branching uniserial chains of unizooidal internodes, with infrequent biserial multozooidal internodes. Autozooids claviform, bending forward, with projections (avicularia) at the distal corners. Frontal shield gymnocystal with conspicuous funnel-shaped foramina; in transparency, several tiny puncta with grooves occur on inner surface of frontal shield. Orifice with a large subcircular anter, the broad sinus (poster) rounded or a shallow V, delimited by condyles; proximal rim formed by vestigial costal spines separated by a median suture and subsutural foramen. No oral spines. Paired lateral-oral avicularia facing somewhat laterally, the rostrum acutely triangular, the opesia bordered by a flat shelf, no crossbar, but a pair of pivots. A row of 5–6 circular pore-chambers along each side of zooid, each with a uniporous septulum; the zooidal cauda with 3–4 similar pore-chambers along the frontal midline. A suboval pore-chamber occurs on each side between an avicularium and a suboral costa, with another moreelongated pore-chamber behind the rostrum of each avicularium. Kenozooids, as rootlets, sometimes present on dorsal surface of zooid. Ovicells in terminal multizooidal internodes only, prominent, hyperstomial, with several large irregular ectooecial foramina; the most proximal fertile zooid generates fertile or infertile zooids distally; distalmost zooids of multizooidal internode lacking ovicells.

Remarks. The zooids of Vasignyella ovicellata are proportionately a little broader and more ventricose than those of V. otophora (though there is some overlap in dimensions) and have many more gymnocystal foramina. The tiny pores that are seen in transparency in V. ovicellata were not reported in V. otophora but may have been overlooked. The most obvious distinction between the two species is the presence of ovicells, so found only in several internodes of any colony. Ovicell formation appears to occur only in the proximal zooids of a multizooidal internode, and not at all in zooids that generate branches. Fertile internodes were found during October through February (summer).

Distribution and substrata. Brazil: State of Alagoas, intertidal to 3 m depth on natural substrata (coral reefs and sandstone banks) and anthropogenic surfaces (sewer outfall). In these situations they can occur on the surfaces of associated organisms such as colonial ascidians and the bryozoans Scrupocellaria sp. , Amathia vidovici ( Heller, 1867) , and Amathia distans Busk, 1886 . Co-occurring bryozoans in these settings include Nolella stipata Gosse, 1855 , Aetea spp. , Beania cupulariensis Osburn, 1914 , Beania mirabilis Johnston, 1840 , Synnotum aegyptiacum ( Audouin, 1826) , Savignyella lafontii ( Audouin, 1826) , Catenicella contei ( Audouin, 1826) , and Catenicella uberrima ( Harmer, 1957) .