Santjordia, Lindsay & Grossmann & Montenegro & Morandini, 2023

Lindsay, Dhugal John, Grossmann, Mary Matilda, Montenegro, Javier & Morandini, André Carrara, 2023, A new subfamily of ulmarid scyphomedusae, the Santjordiinae, with a description of Santjordia pagesi gen. et sp. nov. (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa: Discomedusae: Semaeostomeae: Ulmaridae) from the Sumisu Caldera, Ogasawara Islands, Japan, Zootaxa 5374 (4), pp. 533-551 : 538

Genus Santjordia gen. nov.

New Japanese name: Sekijuujikurage-zoku

Santjordiinae with bell margin divided into 8 broad velar lobes; subumbrellar tentacles in pits over ring canal ( Figs. 3a–e , 4 ); four perradial canals wide, emanating from centre of distal tips of red, cross-shaped stomach base; four interradial canals wide, unbranched (simple), emanating from angles between stomach pouches; eight adradial canals wide, emanating from corners of distal tips of stomach pouch base, not in direct communication with perradial nor interradial canals; 32 rhopalia, the 24 adradial rhopalia protruding through circular perforations in the velar lobes ( Fig. 3f ) and supplied by rhopaliar canals emanating from the ring canal; 4 oral arms, with bases fused and following outline of cross-shaped stomach.

Etymology

The genus name Santjordia refers to the red cross of Saint George (Catalan: Sant Jordi)—the shape and colour of which correspond well to the distinctive stomach base in this genus and species. Saint George is also the patron saint of Catalonia, where the first author began the present work while on sabbatical in the laboratory of a Catalan taxonomist.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Santjordia pagesi gen. et sp. nov. Holotype. a: photograph of lateral view of living specimen in the gate sampler; b: photograph of aboral view of living specimen in the gate sampler; c: sketch of lateral view of living specimen; d: sketch of aboral view of living specimen; e: sketch of portion of oral view of preserved specimen; f: close-up of adradial rhopalium of preserved specimen, showing exumbrella with cleft, statocyst and rhopaliar canal; g: close-up of oral arm of living specimen in the onboard aquarium, showing marginal papillae. Scale bar = 2 cm except f: scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Close-up photograph of subumbrella of preserved specimen of Santjordia pagesi gen. et sp. nov. holotype showing tentacle disposition. Sketch of subumbrella photograph, labelled with morphological characters. Scale bar = 1 mm.