Conescharellina perculta, Bock & Cook, 2004

Bock, Philip E. & Cook, Patricia L., 2004, A review of Australian Conescharellinidae (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 61 (2), pp. 135-182 : 158

Conescharellina perculta sp. nov.

Figures 11A–D

Holotype. NMV F98998 , slide labelled E3195 ( Locality unknown, probably off New South Wales).

Paratypes. NMV F98999 , locality as above .

Etymology. percultus (L.) – highly adorned, with reference to the patterning of the numerous avicularia and colony calcification.

Diagnosis and description. Colonies small, discoid, distinctly wider than high, with a mamillate centre and prominent marginal peristomes, calcification delicate and finely tuberculate. Orifices quincuncial, becoming radial. Primary orifice with a rounded sinus. Peristomes elongated and tubular, raised antapically and prolonged into a spout, prominent at the colony margin. Adapical pore present on outer face of the peristomes. Root pores circular, surrounded by up to 5 small avicularia. All avicularia small, rostrum rounded, bar with a minute ligula. Each orifice with 1 adapical, 1 lateral and 1 antapical pair of avicularia. Further pairs of lateral and antapically placed avicularia, that are visible from the antapical surface, are accompanied by pairs of pores.

Largest colony about 2.3 mm wide and 0.5 mm high, with 6 astogenetic generations and probably up to 11–12 zooids per whorl at margin.

Remarks. The locality from that the three small colonies of were collected also provided two well preserved colonies of C. biarmata and therefore is inferred to have been collected from New South Wales. C. perculta is distinguished by its delicate, semitransparent, finely tuberculate calcification, with numerous avicularia surrounding the spout-shaped peristomial orifices. As in C. eburnea , C. ocellata and T. diommatus , the marginal peristomes can be recognised from the antapical surface by the pattern or outline of the associated paired avicularia. In many other respects, such as the depth of the peristome, the distribution of circum-oral avicularia, and type of root pore, C. perculta greatly resembles C. plana , from which it differs principally in colony size, the patterning and shape of the orifices, and nature of the antapical surface, including the peristomes. The circular root pores, with their surrounding avicularia, resemble those of C. eburnea , C. plana and C. humerus , as well as those of Crucescharellina australis .

Figures

Figure 11. Conescharellina perculta sp. nov. A, NMV F98998, holotype. A, adapical view of colony, scale = 200 µm. B, NMV P98999, antapical view of marginal peristomes, scale = 200 µm. C–D, NMV F98998, holotype. C, detail of orifices, peristomes, and avicularia, scale = 200 µm. D, detail of root pore, scale = 200 µm.