Cellaria, Ellis & Solander, 1786

Achilleos, Katerina, Gordon, Dennis P. & Smith, Abigail M., 2020, Cellaria (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) from the deep: new species from the southern Zealandian region, Zootaxa 4801 (2), pp. 201-236 : 216-217

Cellaria sp. 1

( Fig. 9 )

Cellaria sp. 1: Achilleos et al. 2019: [4–7].

Material examined. NIWA 132736 , NIWA Stn U 582, 31.8617º S, 172.4333º E, Three Kings Ridge, 790 m, collected 5 February 1988 .

Description. Colony erect, comprising a single cylindrical stem c. 6 mm long. Stem diameter tapering proximally (W, 112–683 μm).

Autozooidal cystid somewhat hexagonal in outline, rounded distally, longer than wide (ZL, 604–716 μm; ZW, 426–517 μm; ratio 1.44), 3–6 zooids per whorl, alternating with whorls above and below, with up to 15 whorls in stem. Cryptocyst finely granular overall, cryptocyst ridges continuous around opesia distally, converging and meeting proximally, sunken area lowest proximal to opesia. Opesia wider than long (OpL, 118–173 μm; OpW, 157–213 μm; ratio 0.76), rim low, smooth; proximal margin straight with mounded (cusp-like) condyles connected by con- spicuous transverse ridge (condylar ridge) that is weakly concave.

Avicularia vicarious, occupying the place of an autozooid in a whorl, though not quite as long. Rostrum longitudinally oval, with extensive weakly concave palate, combined rostral foramen/avicularian opesia oval; mandibular pivots not evident; avicularian opesia proximal of foramen narrow.

Ooecia and ancestrula not seen.

Remarks. The sole stem represents a transported fragment, loose in the sediment.Although it is slightly eroded it has not experience diagenetic alteration and does not appear to be a fossil. Because it lacks ooecial characters and evidence of branching it is not adequate for species discrimination, although it is almost certainly new. It resembles no living species, but some of the characters are found in fossil species. For example, opesiae in Australian Miocene Cellaria contigua contigua MacGillivray, 1895 and C. contigua corioensis Maplestone, 1901 have a condylar ridge, but the avicularia are interzooidal with triangular rostra; so also with Oligocene Cellaria dennanti MacGillivray, 1895 , but it’s very large vicarious avicularia are rhombic and stems have more longitudinal zooidal series. New Zealand Eocene C. bicuspidata , C. inarticulata and C. palatum also have condylar ridges but differ in other characters (additional distal cusps, autozooidal shape or avicularium shape).

Cellaria sp. 1 co-occurs at the same station locality as Cellaria sp. 3.

Distribution. Three Kings Ridge, 790 m depth.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Cellaria sp. 1, NIWA Stn U582. A. Autozooids and avicularia. B. Autozooids and a vicarious avicularium with a large longitudinally oval rostrum and foramen. Scale bars: A, 500 μm; B, 250 μm.