Acryptolaria infinita, Peña Cantero & Vervoort, 2010

Peña Cantero, Álvaro L. & Vervoort, Willem, 2010, Species of Acryptolaria Norman, 1875 (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Lafoeidae) collected in the Western Pacific by various French expeditions, with the description of nineteen new species, Zoosystema 32 (2), pp. 267-332 : 291-292

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5252/z2010n2a5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4551870

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E5636A-FF84-FFBD-FCED-530A7212FCC7

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Acryptolaria infinita
status

sp. nov.

Acryptolaria infinita View in CoL n. sp.

( Figs 11 View FIG ; 30 View FIG ; 31H View FIG ; Table 12)

TYPE MATERIAL. — NW New Caledonia. MUSORSTOM 4 View Materials , stn DW 197, 18°51.3’S, 163°21.0’E, 560 m, 20.IX.1985, several stems up to 70 mm high and a few stolonal hydrothecae, on coral, holotype (MNHN-Hy.2009-0162) GoogleMaps ; c. 4 stems on coral fragments, up to 60 mm high, paratype (RMNH-Coel. no. 31509); 3 stem fragments up to 27 mm high in 2 slides, paratypes (RMNH-Coel no. 35004, slide 431; MNCN 2.03 View Materials /395) .

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — NW New Caledonia. MUSORSTOM 4, stn DW 162, 18°35.0’S, 163°10.3’E, 525 m, 16.IX.1985, 1 stem c. 46 mm high ( MNCN 2.03/416).

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific name “ infinita ” refers to the exceedingly long hydrothecae. From the Latin “finis”, border, the Latin word “in” indicating without; “infinita” is an adjective in feminine gender.

ECOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION. — Acryptolaria infinita n. sp. was collected at depths between 525 and 560 m in the Pacific Ocean NW of New Caledonia. It was found epibiotic on coral.

DESCRIPTION

Stems up to 70 mm high, scarcely branched ( Fig. 31H View FIG ), usually with only secondary branches, but up to fourth-order branches have been observed. Branching irregular; branches sinuous, forming a moderate zigzag ( Fig. 11A, B View FIG ).

Hydrothecae alternately arranged in approximately one plane ( Fig. 11A, B View FIG ); tubular ( Fig. 11 View FIG ), roughly cylindrical at long free part, but diameter distinctly decreasing basally at adnate basal third; minimum diameter at base. Hydrotheca slightly directed outwards, adnate for approximately one-third of the adcauline wall (adnate/free ratio 0.5). Distal part of hydrotheca predominantly straight. Adcauline wall slightly convex at adnate part, straight or slightly convex at free portion; abcauline wall slightly concave basally, straight at distal part. Hydrothecal aperture circular, oblique and upward directed, forming an angle of c. 45° with long axis of internode. Rim even, frequently with a few short renovations ( Fig. 11 View FIG ).

Large nematocysts relatively small and ovoid ( Fig. 30 View FIG ).

Coppinia not found.

REMARKS

Acryptolaria infinita n. sp. is unique and easily recognizable by the colony structure, with little branched stems and branches with a moderate zigzag pattern, by the extremely long hydrothecae (the longest known), the shape of that hydrotheca, the relatively large free part of the adcauline hydrothecal wall and the relatively small nematocysts.

MNCN

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Cnidaria

Class

Hydrozoa

Order

Leptothecata

Family

Lafoeidae

Genus

Acryptolaria

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