Hyalinella punctata ( Hancock, 1850 )

Wood, Timothy S., 2020, Review of freshwater Bryozoa (Phylactolaemata) of Central Africa with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 4820 (3), pp. 581-600 : 586

Hyalinella punctata ( Hancock, 1850)

( Fig. 3 )

Plumatella punctata Hancock, 1850: p. 200 , text-figs. 6, 7; pl. 3(1).

Plumatella punctata: Kraepelin, 1887: p. 126 –128, pls 4 (115, 116), 5 (124, 125), 7 (153, 154).

Hyalinella punctata: Rogick, 1935: p. 251 ; Toriumi, 1955: p. 247, text-figs 1–3; Bushnell, 1965: p. 541, figs 12, 13; Geimer & Massard, 1986: p. 118–130, pl. 14; Wiebach, 1964: p. 27; Wood, 1989: p. 43–46, fig. 25.

Material examined. Specimen No. 174, collected March, 1953 at Lake Lungwe, situated at 2923 meters elevation in DR Congo, Sud-Kivu Province, about 61 km S of Bukayu, by Dr. J. Bouillon. Identified by Wiebach as Hyalinella punctata ( Hancock, 1850) .

Description. The small colonies have a swollen appearance, transparent body wall, and limited branching ( Fig. 3 ). Contracted zooids show little more than low mounds at intervals along the main colony axis. There are no statoblasts.

Remarks. Hyalinella punctata is known as a holarctic species and unlikely to occur in Africa, although at 2923 meters elevation the possibility cannot be dismissed. Another possibility would be H. lendenfeldi Ridley, 1887 which has a similar colony structure and is known from Thailand and possibly other parts of southern Asia ( Wood et al. 2006). Unfortunately, there there are no statoblasts with the MRAC specimen to verify identification. Even Wiebach (1964) qualified his species identification with a question mark.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Hyalinella punctata, Specimen No. 174 showing colony fragment on plant stem. Scale bar = 2 mm.