Ammatophora typica Canu & Bassler, 1928

Judith L Winston, 2016, Bryozoa of Floridan Oculina reefs, Zootaxa 4071 (1), pp. 1-81 : 16-17

Ammatophora typica Canu & Bassler, 1928 a comb. nov.

( Fig. 7 ; Table 6 )

Floridinella typica Canu & Bassler, 1928a: 59 , pl.6, figs 6–7, text-fig. 8b; Winston 1982: 125, fig. 40.

Material examined. AMNH 594, Floridinella typica ; VMNH no. 70604, 70605; USNM no. 1283232.

Description. Colonies encrusting calcareous substrata such as dead mollusc shell or Oculina branches ( Fig. 7 A). Zooids roughly oval to diamond shaped, about 0.57 mm long, 0.415 mm wide) with large rounded-triangular to bell-shaped opesia occupying half or more of zooid length, bordered by coarsely granular cryptocyst that is narrow laterally, broad proximally ( Fig. 7 B, C). Cryptocystal rim minutely granular. Gymnocyst very narrow, more developed proximally where it forms a broad solid tubercle, rounded to conical in shape. No avicularia. Ooecium imperforate with smoothly curved proximal rim, much broader than long, marked by a pair of large tubercles like those on gymnocyst. Internal communication pores recessed between thick pillars of calcification; internal distal walls of zooids with ooecia appear smooth and hollowed out, lacking the calcified pillars typical of autozooids ( Fig. 7 C, D).

Remarks. Canu & Bassler (1928a) included this species in the fossil genus Floridinella Canu & Bassler, 1917 , now considered a junior synonym of Ammatophora Norman, 1903 . The Floridan species is very similar to the sand-fauna species Ammatophora arenacea from Brazil (Winston & Vieira 2013) in overall appearance, but the former has larger zooids (0.396–0.702 by 0.324–0.582 mm vs 0.360–0.576 by 0.198–0.306 mm). Like the eastern Atlantic type species Ammatophora nodulosa (Hincks, 1877) , the two western Atlantic species are found on subtidal to shelf-depth shell fragments. Ammatophora typica is a different, and apparently much less widespread, species than the other ‘ typica ’ described in the same publication, Dacryonella typica , now Antropora typica .

Distribution. Florida Atlantic shelf, including Oculina reefs.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Ammatophora typica (Canu & Bassler, 1928): A, portion of colony overgrowing adjacent Bellulopora colony; B, group of zooids with large tubercles; C, zooids, the one on the left with ooecium; D, close up of ooecium. Scale bars: A, 2 mm; B, 1 mm; C, 0.5 mm; D, 0.3 mm.

Tables

TABLE 6. Measurements in mm of Ammatophora typica (Canu & Bassler, 1928).

	Lz	Wz	Lo	Wo	Lop	Wop	Lov	Wov
N	18	18	6	6	18	18	7	7
Mean	0.570	0.415	0.099	0.165	0.273	0.250	0.177	0.309
SD	0.068	0.041	0.010	0.014	0.026	0.031	0.026	0.030
Min	0.396	0.324	0.090	0.144	0.234	0.198	0.126	0.270
Max	0.702	0.486	0.108	0.180	0.324	0.306	0.198	0.360