Schizoretepora aviculifera ( Canu & Bassler, 1930 )

Madurell, Teresa, Jones, Mary Spencer & Zabala, Mikel, 2019, Revision of the Genus Schizoretepora (Bryozoa, Cheilostomatida) from the Atlantic-Mediterranean region, European Journal of Taxonomy 536, pp. 1-33 : 14-17

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2019.536

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EC4DDAED-11A3-45AB-B276-4ED9A301F9FE

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8280696

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038B87B1-3304-6537-FAAB-FEB7F765FC7D

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Schizoretepora aviculifera ( Canu & Bassler, 1930 )
status

 

Schizoretepora aviculifera ( Canu & Bassler, 1930) View in CoL

Fig. 7 View Fig , Table 3 View Table 3

Schizellozoon aviculiferum Canu & Bassler, 1930: 60–62 , pl. VIII, figs 1–13.

Schizellozoon granulosum Canu & Bassler, 1930: 62–63 , pl. VII, figs 6–8.

Material examined

Holotype (by original designation)

TUNISIA • 3 fragments; Kerkennah Is.; Canu coll.; labelled Schizellozoon aviculiferum (specimen figured in original publication); MNHN-IB- 2014-24.

Other material

TUNISIA • 3 fragments; Sfax; Canu coll.; labelled Schizellozoon granulosum (syntype specimen figured in original publication); MNHN-IB- 2014-21 1 colony; Golfe de Gabés, st. 17; Nov. 1953; Y.V Gautier and J. Picard leg.; labelled Schizellozoon aviculiferum ; MNHN-IB- 2008-11126 2 colonies; same collection data as for preceding; Gautier leg.; labelled Schizellozoon longisetae ; MNHN-IB- 2008-11127 .

Description

Colony erect, regularly fenestrate (reteporiform) ( Fig. 7A View Fig ); frontal faces bearing autozooids, abfrontal faces consisting of sheets of kenozooids. Color not noted in live material. Old colonies strongly calcified, branches thick, trabeculae with 3–6 longitudinal rows of autozooids arranged quincuncially ( Fig. 7D, F View Fig ). Fenestrae oval, small, often equal or smaller in width than trabeculae ( Fig. 7A, D View Fig ).

Autozooids longer than wide, convex, separated by distinct raised sutures. Frontal shield notably nodular, with 6–8 conspicuous areolae ( Fig. 7E View Fig ).

Primary orifice semi-elliptical, as long as wide, distal rim with 16–18 blunt denticles, proximal border with U-shaped sinus (wider than long), framed by two acute denticles that form a gutter on the proximal peristomial rim, and flanked by smooth condyles, sloping towards the edges of the sinus ( Fig. 7B View Fig ).

Peristome relatively low, variably developed following ontogeny, with proximal lateral flanges distinctly rounded (when compared with S. longisetae and S. imperati ) on younger zooids ( Fig. 7C View Fig ), smothered in older zooids ( Fig. 7F View Fig ).

Two to six long oral spines, commonly 4–5 in young zooids, articulated (i.e., telescopic) and carinated ( Fig. 7C View Fig ), with basal parts thickly fused in distal zooids, one of them particularly large and thick, clublike ( Fig. 7E View Fig ). Spines fragile and easily broken off, only two bases remaining in older zooids ( Fig. 7B View Fig ).

Two types of frontal avicularia. Adventitious avicularia almond-like, with triangular hooked tip, typically proximo-lateral to orifice and directed disto-laterally ( Fig. 7E View Fig ), with slender crossbar and without columella. Giant avicularia on raised cystid (with 2–5 pores) ( Fig. 7F View Fig ); orientated perpendicular to frontal plane and directed proximo-laterally; similar in shape to almond-like adventitious avicularia, triangular but with straight borders and a strongly hooked tip; crossbar robust, without columella. Giant and almond-like adventitious avicularia rarely occur in same zooid, the former being more abundant on the central part of branches.

Ovicell typically globular, non-cleithral ( Fig. 7F View Fig ), slightly wider than long, hyperstomial in young zooids, subimmersed with secondary calcification; surface rugose imperforate, with large central fissure, widening at the base.

Abfrontal convex and notably nodular ( Fig. 7H View Fig ), with large polygonal kenozooids separated by raised sutures, and numerous pores (2 to 8). Abfrontal avicularia always triangular, with straight margins, hooked, variable in number but occasionally very numerous ( Fig. 7G View Fig ), of two different sizes, larger on the basis of the fenestrae; with slender crossbar, wide triangular lacuna and without columella. Base of the colonies with numerous kenozooids bearing small oval avicularia.

Remarks

The descriptions by Canu & Bassler of S. aviculiferum and S. granulosum are unfortunate, because they are based on very old material, abraded and fragmented. In particular, they failed to observe the total number of spines and other details of young zooids. The specimens of S. aviculiferum collected by Gautier (MNHN-IB-2008-11126) are the best-preserved and show all the characters well. Gautier mistakenly ascribed the specimen MNHN-IB-2008-11127 to S. longisetae (see Fig. 7C View Fig ).

To date, S. aviculiferum has been considered a synonym of the former S. imperati (now S. pungens ), as suggested by Barrosso (1935), Zabala (1986), d’Hondt & Ben Ismail (2008) and Rosso & Di Martino (2016). Barroso (1935) noted that the differences between S. imperati and S. aviculiferum (and also S. pungens ) are limited and of “secondary order”, suggesting that they were probably the same species. Schizoretepora granulosa was never reported again after its description and it was recently considered an equivocal report by Rosso & Di Martino (2016). Canu & Bassler (1930) in their description of S. granulosum pointed out that this species is very similar to S. pungens , the only differences being the grainy frontal and the absence of abfrontal avicularia. Despite most fragments being very calcified, thus the abfrontal avicularia are probably embedded by secondary calcification, an accurate revision of Canu & Bassler’s material ( Fig. 7H View Fig ) reveals the presence of the characteristic triangular avicularia.

Overall, the descriptions of S. aviculiferum and S. granulosum were thus based on different parts of the colony and different growth stages that rendered equivocal characters to identify the species. The detailed examination of museum specimens together with the morphometric analysis presented here indicate that both species are the same, characterized by having only one type of frontal adventitious avicularia (triangular) and numerous abfrontal triangular avicularia.

Schizoretepora hassi View in CoL ( Harmelin, Bitar & Zibrowius, 2007) shows great similarities with S. aviculifera View in CoL , particularly with the presence of frequent abfrontal avicularia (more abundant at the base of the colony in S. hassi View in CoL ), the adventitious avicularia typically located proximo-laterally to the orifice and the nodular aspect of the frontal. Differences between S. hassi View in CoL and S. aviculifera View in CoL are mainly based on the morphology of the colony and also on measurements, generally larger in S. hassi View in CoL .

Schizoretepora aviculifera View in CoL is very similar to S. pungens View in CoL and differences between both species are very subtle. These differences are explained below (see remarks for S. longisetae ).

Table 3. Measurements of Schizoretepora aviculifera (Canu & Bassler, 1930).

  N MEAN SD MIN MAX
FL 55 1320 207 746 1774
FW 55 679 160 393 1056
TW 100 744 251 385 1632
Nz 93 4 1 2 6
AzL 142 411 51 278 542
AzW 143 261 35 167 386
OL 71 80 8 66 97
OW 71 80 8 60 97
ApL 48 109 10 89 130
ApW 48 109 9 94 129
AAL 80 88 15 46 127
AAW 80 45 9 29 73
VAL 71 174 48 106 296
VAW 71 90 25 51 159
OVL 40 200 29 132 252
OVW 40 230 22 189 279
AbAL 71 149 53 73 327
AbAW 71 74 25 35 140
AbVL 3 195 51 139 237
AbVW 3 75 6 68 79
Ns 92 3 1 2 6
Np 141 4 1 1 7
Np_Ab 51 3 1 1 6

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Bryozoa

Class

Gymnolaemata

Order

Cheilostomatida

SubOrder

Flustrina

Family

Phidoloporidae

Genus

Schizoretepora

Loc

Schizoretepora aviculifera ( Canu & Bassler, 1930 )

Madurell, Teresa, Jones, Mary Spencer & Zabala, Mikel 2019
2019
Loc

Schizoretepora hassi

Harmelin, Bitar & Zibrowius 2007
2007
Loc

S. hassi

Harmelin, Bitar & Zibrowius 2007
2007
Loc

S. hassi

Harmelin, Bitar & Zibrowius 2007
2007
Loc

S. hassi

Harmelin, Bitar & Zibrowius 2007
2007
Loc

Schizellozoon aviculiferum

Canu & Bassler 1930: 60
1930
Loc

Schizellozoon granulosum

Canu & Bassler 1930: 62
1930
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