Smittipora cordiformis Harmer, 1926

Venkatraman, C., Padmanaban, P., Louis, Soja & Shrinivaasu, S., 2018, Marine bryozoans of Gujarat and Maharashtra, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 118 (4), pp. 389-404 : 396

17. Smittipora cordiformis Harmer, 1926 (Plate 5b)

Locality: Devbagh, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, 15° 99’ 28.8 N Substratum: Encrusting on molluscan shell

Description: Colony encrusting. Autozooids are hexagonal or sometimes polygonal, concave, separated by marginal rim and distinct sutures. Membraneous frontal membrane translucent, light orange-brown, covering the sparsely granular cryptocystal frontal space, opesia small, an elongate D-shape, in distal half of zooid, surrounded by frontal cryptocyst. Operculum dark brown-orange in colour, smaller than opesia, lacking any discernible marginal sclerite. Avicularia and autozooids are narrower and apparently torqued towards its sibling autozooid. Cryptocyst granular,concave, opesia elongate oval, distally located, proximal border denticulate, smooth distally, a pair of condyles developed approximately two-thirds along each lateral wall; distal end of avicularium drawn to a point, turned towards its sibling zooid and channeled to accept the mandibular rachis; mandible long; rachis light chocolate brown in colour, hooked at its tip, translucent light orange-brown baldes; fertile zooids similar to in size to autozooids but with dimorphic opesia. Opesial shape; Avicularian shape with its pointed distal end and turned towards its sibling zooid.

Remarks: Recorded for the first time in India.

Distribution: Various Shiboga stations in the Indo-Australian archipelago, Ceylon and Indo-Pacific.