Tanacetipathes hirta ( Gray, 1857 )

Loiola, Livia L. & Castro, Clovis B., 2005, Tanacetipathes Opresko, 2001 (Cnidaria: Antipatharia: Myriopathidae) from Brazil, including two new species, Zootaxa 1081, pp. 1-31 : 10-12

Tanacetipathes hirta ( Gray, 1857)

Figure 6

Antipathes hirta Gray, 1857: 293 ; Opresko, 1972: 979 –984, tab. 2, Fig. 6 ; Warner, 1981: 151 –152, Figs. 5 , 6 and 7 .

Antipathes picea Pourtalès, 1880: 115 , pl. 3, fígs. 9 and 29; Brook, 1889: 161 [Brook included this species in a group of species with uncertain generic identity].

Parantipathes hirta: Brook, 1889: 144 , pl. 2, Fig. 11 , pl. 11, Fig. 1 [Brook indicated uncertainty on the generic identity of this species.]; van Pesch, 1914: 20.

Tanacetipathes hirta: Opresko, 2001a: 358 –361; 2001b: 349.

Material examined. Brazil: off São Mateus, 19º42’ S, 039º26’ W, 239m, REVIZEE Bahia­2 Sta. #E0533 ( MNRJ 4618: 2 colonies).

Diagnosis. Colony sparsely branched up to the 5th order, branches lateral, in angles of 45 ° –90 ° with the lower order branches ( Fig. 6 a); axis and branches with 4–6 longitudinal rows of primary pinnules (depending on occurrence of second anterior), arranged biserially in alternate groups along the axis. Maximum length of primary anterior pinnules 14–24 mm (average 19.30 ± 3.56 mm), maximum length of posterior primary pinnules 19– 30 mm (average 23.10 ± 3.28 mm). Secondary pinnules up to 20 mm long (average maximum length 13.00 ± 3.91 mm), in a single series on the proximal half of the primaries’ abpolypar side, up to four secondaries per primary ( Fig. 6 c). One to three tertiary pinnules, only on the abpolypar side of the proximal secondaries ( Fig. 6 c). Quaternary pinnules rarely present. Spines smooth or with small ornamentations (both conditions found in the same specimen), conical, acute ( Fig. 6 d–e); inclined and usually curved towards the distal end of the pinnules; 6–10 longitudinal rows around the axis ( Fig. 6 f–h); polypar spines 0.07–0.18 mm tall ( Fig. 6 d), abpolypar, 0.03–0.11 mm ( Fig. 6 e); Polyps 0.7–0.8 mm in transverse diameter, in a single series along the pinnules; 10–12 per centimeter; tentacles 0.2 mm long; oral cone elevated 0.2 mm; mouth usually sagittally elongated (emended from Opresko, 1972).

Remarks. The Brazilian colonies of Tanacetipathes hirta ( Gray, 1857) are similar to the specimens described by Opresko (1972) and Warner (1981). The only difference is that Opresko’s material has posterior primary pinnules 2 to 6 times longer than the anterior ones. Our material has anterior primaries with a length (5.0–24.0 mm, average 11.2 mm) closer to the length of the posterior (12.0–26.0 mm, average 18.5 mm) than in Opresko’s and Warner’s specimens. However, the branching pattern, the arrangement of the pinnules and subpinnules, and the characteristics of the spines indicate that these specimens belong to the same species. The diagnosis given by Opresko (1972) was herein emended to include variations observed in Brazilian colonies, especially the relative length of anterior and posterior primary pinnules. This represents the first record of T. hirta from the South Atlantic.

Distribution. Atlantic: Florida and Venezuela ( Opresko, 1972); Caribbean ( Brook, 1889; Opresko, 1972); Boca de Navios, NW Trinidad ( Warner, 1981); Brazil: oceanic seamount off eastern Brazil (about 19 ° S—Fig. 1).

Figures

FIGURE 1 — Distribution of Tanacetipathes Opresko, 2001 off Brazil, between 13 ° – 22 ° S: T. barbadensis (Brook, 1889); T. tanacetum (Pourtalès, 1880); T. hirta (Gray, 1857); T. thamnea (Warner, 1981); T. longipinnula n. sp.; T. thalassoros n. sp.

FIGURE 5 — Tanacetipathes barbadensis (Brook, 1889), Form 2 (MNRJ 5136): a—Colony; b—Lateral view of branch and pinnules; c—Transverseal view, cycle of pinnules; d—Spines of the basal region of a pinnule; e—Spines of the middle region of a pinnule; f—Spines of the apical region of a pinnule; g—Polypar spines of the middle region of a pinnule, close view; h—Abpolypar spines of the middle region of a pinnule, close view. Scale bars: a = 2.0 cm; b = 1.0 cm; c = 0.3 cm; d – f = 0.2 mm; g – h = 0.05 mm.

FIGURE 6 — Tanacetipathes hirta (Gray, 1857) (MNRJ 4618): a—Colony; b—Pinnulate region of the colony; c—Transversal view, cycle of pinnules; d—Polypar spines of the middle region of a pinnule, close view; e—Abpolypar spines of the middle region of a pinnule, close view; f—Spines of the basal region of a pinnule; g—Spines of the middle region of a pinnule; h—Spines of the apical region of a pinnule. Scale bars: a = 2.0 cm; b = 1.0 cm; c = 0.5 cm; d­e = 0.05 mm; f­h = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 7 — Tanacetipathes tanacetum (Pourtalès, 1880), Form 1 (MNRJ 4604): a—Colony; b—Pinnulate region of the colony; c—Transversal view, cycle of pinnules; d—Spines of the basal region of a pinnule; e—Spines of the middle region of a pinnule; f—Spines of the apical region of a pinnule; g—Polypar spines of the middle region of a pinnule, close view; h—Abpolypar spines of the middle region of a pinnule, close view. Scale bars: a = 2.0 cm; b = 1.0 cm; c = 0.5 cm; d­f = 0.2 mm; g = 0.05 mm; h = 0.02 mm.

FIGURE 11 — Tanacetipathes thamnea (Warner, 1981) (MNRJ 4669): a—Colony; b—Pinnulate region of the colony; c—Transversal view, cycle of pinnules; d—Polypar (p) and abpolypar (ab) spines of the apical region of a pinnule, close view; e—Spines of the basal region of a pinnule; f—Spines of the middle region of a pinnule; g—Spines of the apical region of a pinnule; h—Polypar spines of the middle region of a pinnule, close view; i—Polypar spines of the apical region of a pinnule, close view; j—Abpolypar spines of the middle region of a pinnule, close view. Scale bars: a = 2.0 cm; b = 1.0 cm; c = 0.3 cm; d, h – i = 0.05 mm; e – g = 0.2 mm; j = 0.02.