Antrosagittifera corallina Hooge and Tyler, 2001

Hooge, Matthew D. & Tyler, Seth, 2008, Acoela (Acoelomorpha) from Bocas del Toro, Panama, Zootaxa 1719, pp. 1-40 : 36-37

Antrosagittifera corallina Hooge and Tyler, 2001

( Fig. 33 )

Material. Living specimens in squeeze preparation; one set of serial sections of epoxy-embedded specimen stained with toluidine blue.

Locality. Islas Zapatillas (9°15’N, 82°03’W), from coarse-grained sand at 2 m water depth taken from the west side of the more westerly island.

Description. Mature specimens ~400 µm long and ~110 µm wide ( Fig. 33 A). Anterior and posterior ends rounded. Greenish-brown color conferred by numerous zooxanthellae.

Paired strands of oocytes extend posteriorly from frontal glands to seminal bursa with bursal nozzle ( Fig. 33 B).

Male gonopore subterminal at posterior end. Long male antrum opens to walled seminal vesicle.

Sagittocysts most easily visible at posterior end of body, behind seminal vesicle, where zooxanthellae are mostly absent ( Fig. 33 B).

Remarks. Antrosagittifera corallina is the only member of the Sagittiferidae known to occur in the Caribbean. The type locality of this species is in Bermuda ( Hooge & Tyler 2001), but other specimens have been reported from Carrie Bow Cay, Belize (Hooge & Tyler 2006).

Figures

FIGURE 33. Antrosagittifera corallina; photomicrographs of living specimen. A. Dorsal view of lightly squeezed specimen. B. Posterior end of animal, showing copulatory organs and sagittocysts.