Pharyngodictyon magnifili Monniot C. & Monniot F., 1991

Exbodi, Françoise Monniot, 2022, Additional records of bathyal ascidians (Tunicata) from the New Caledonia region, Zootaxa 5195 (3), pp. 201-223 : 203-204

Pharyngodictyon magnifili Monniot C. & Monniot F., 1991

Figure 1

Stations: SPANBIOS: CP 5217: 4 specimens. CP 5237: 1 specimen.

The largest specimen has a spherical head 15mm in diameter on a narrow peduncle 20mm long ( Fig. 1A ). The tunic is vitreous with some encrusted sand. The apertures cannot be seen, and all zooids are contracted. Thoraces and abdomens are located in the head and the long post-abdomens extend inside the peduncle. The oral tentacles are thin, long, protruding out of the siphon ( Fig. 1B ). The branchial tissue has at least seven transverse bars with triangular dorsal languets. The stomach is elongated with longitudinal folds ( Fig. 1B ). The ovary is anterior to a clump of testis lobes. In one zooid two immature embryos are incubated in the thoracic cavity ( Fig. 1B ). One tadpole ( Fig. 1C ) was found free inside the colony head. It has three adhesive papillae in a line circled by very numerous ramified vesicles ( Fig. 1C ). Sensitive organs cannot be clearly seen.

All characters of the SPANBIOS specimens well correspond to those already described from New Caledonia and figured in Monniot C. & Monniot F. 1991 ( Figs 7F ; 10 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pharyngodictyon magnifili. A, colony, scale bar = 1cm. B, zooid. C. larva stained with hemalum.

FIGURE 7. Polycarpa carpocincta. A, one specimen. B,C, two specimens ventrally opened. D, branchial sac. Scale bars = 1cm.

FIGURE 10. Polycarpa triruga. A, B, branchial tissue of two different specimens. Scale bars = 5mm.