Callopora floridana, Judith L Winston, 2016

Judith L Winston, 2016, Bryozoa of Floridan Oculina reefs, Zootaxa 4071 (1), pp. 1-81 : 13

Callopora floridana sp. nov.

( Fig. 4 ; Table 3 )

Material examined. Holotype: VMNH 70601. Paratype: USNM 1283229.

Etymology. Pertaining to the state of Florida where the species was collected.

Diagnosis. Callopora with extensive gymnocyst, 5–6 articulated acicular lateral spines and 4–8 stouter distal spines, a smooth ooecium, and rare teardrop-shaped interzooidal avicularia.

Description. Colonies encrusting, unilaminar with fanlike pluriserial growth pattern Fig.4 A, B). Oval to irregular zooids, with extensive lateral and proximal gymnocyst bordering oval frontal membrane and opesia. Five or six articulated acicular spines (often broken) projecting over frontal membrane ( Fig. 4 C); thicker distal spines (2–4 per side) around orifice ( Fig. 4 E, F). Ooecia raised, rounded, smoothly calcified with curved proximal rim ( Fig. 4 D, E). Only two distal spines visible on ovicellate zooids. Avicularia seemingly rare, one laterally directed; these interzooidal, at angle to autozooids, with teardrop-shaped cystid and curved rostrum ( Fig. 4 G).

Remarks. This species most closely resembles the eastern Atlantic species Callopora discreta (Hincks, 1862) . Callopora discreta occurs in shell gravel and on shells off the shores of southwestern Britain and Belgium. Illustrations in Hayward & Ryland (1998) and De Blauwe (2009) showed that the two species share a pluriserial growth form, spines and similar ooecium shape, but Callopora floridana has fewer lateral spines, 5–6 in C. floridana vs 17–22 in C. discreta , more distal spines, 2–4 vs 2, rare avicularia in C. floridana instead of no avicularia in C. discreta and a smooth ooecial surface.

Distribution. Atlantic Florida shelf Oculina banks.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Callopora floridana sp. nov.: A, portion of colony showing fan-shaped growth; B, autozooids near the origin of the colony; C, group of zooids, some with spines remaining, one with ooecium; D, close up of zooid with ooecium; E, zooids, one with ooecium; F, group of zooids near growing edge, with developing ooecium and three avicularia; G, magnified view of interzooidal avicularium; H, autozooid, showing spines and spine bases. Scale bars: A, 1 mm; B, C, G, 0.5 mm; D, E, 0.4 mm; F, H, 0.3 mm.

Tables

TABLE 3. Measurements in mm of Callopora floridana sp. nov.

	Lz	Wz	Lop	Wop	Lov	Wov	Lav	Wav
N	18	18	18	18	16	16	2	2
Mean	0.659	0.386	0.345	0.258	0.189	0.242	0.351	0.180
SD	0.104	0.039	0.024	0.020	0.011	0.020	0.140	0.051
Min	0.540	0.288	0.306	0.234	0.180	0.198	0.252	0.144
Max	0.864	0.450	0.396	0.288	0.216	0.270	0.450	0.216