Gaziella glandulosa, Diez & Monnens & Wuyts & Brendonck & Reygel & Schmidt-Rhaesa & Artois, 2023

Diez, Yander L., Monnens, Marlies, Wuyts, Arlien, Brendonck, Luc, Reygel, Patrick, Schmidt-Rhaesa, Andreas & Artois, Tom, 2023, Taxonomy and phylogeny of Dalytyphloplanida Willems et al., 2006 (Platyhelminthes: Rhabdocoela), with the description of a new family, a new genus, and sixteen new species from Cuba and Panama, Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 23 (4), pp. 631-681 : 648-649

Gaziella glandulosa sp. n. Diez & Artois

( Figs. 6c, d and 8d )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:838DF0F5-D6AB-4AC0-A341-41ECE429E8E5

Gaziella sp. 3 in Diez et al. (2023)

Material and distribution. Cuba: Observations on live animals. One whole mount, designated holotype ( ZMH, No. V13680 ), and one specimen used for molecular analyses collected in Siboney (type locality) (June 5, 2017); intertidal, sand rich in organic matter, upper 10 cm of sediment, salinity 32 ‰.

Etymology. The epithet refers to the glandular proximal two-thirds of the cirrus. Lat. Glandulae: gland.

Diagnosis. Species of Gaziella with a cirrus 94 µm long, spiny in the distal 25% of its length; spines 5 µm long. The proximal 80% of the cirrus is glandular. Sclerotised cap 12 µm long and 18 µm wide proximally, it covers the distal 20% of the cirrus.

Description. The paired testes ( Fig. 6c : t) are located some distance anterolaterally from the pharynx. The thick seminal ducts run backwards and open independently into de copulatory bulb ( Fig. 6c : cb). The atrial organs are located caudal to the pharynx, in the last body third. The copulatory bulb encompasses the seminal vesicle ( Figs. 6c and 8d : sv), the prostate vesicle ( Figs. 6c and 8d : pv), the spiny cirrus ( Figs. 6c–c and 8d : cir), and the clerotized cap ( Figs. 6c, d and 8d : sc). The clerotized cap is 12 µm long and 18 µm wide proximally. It covers the spiny cirrus in the distal 20% of its length. The cirrus is 94 µm long and 13 µm wide; its walls are glandular (6d: cgl). The spines are distributed in the distal 23 µm of the cirrus length; they are fine and 3–6 µm long (x = 5 µm; n = 21).

The paired vitellaria ( Fig. 6c : vi) extend along the body sides, between the brain ( Fig. 6c : br) and the pharynx. The paired oval-shaped ovaries ( Figs. 6c and 8d : ov) lie posteriorly to the male copulatory bulb, with the oocytes in a row. Each oviduct has a seminal reservoir vesicle ( Figs. 6c and 8d : sr). The bursa ( Fig. 6c : b) is located caudal to the ovaries, with a long bursal stalk ( Fig. 8d : bsk) and a proximal seminal reservoir vesicle ( Fig. 8d : bsr). The walls of the bursa are thick and very muscular. The common gonopore opens at 90%, just caudal to the male copulatory organ.

Figures

Fig.6 Species of Gaziella. a, b Gaziella cochleata sp. n. c, d G. glandulosa sp. n. e–g G. microcirra sp. n. a, c, e Body organisation (live animals). b, d, e, f Cirrus and sclerotised cap from the holotypes. Structures oriented with the anterior end toward the top of the plate

Fig. 8 Micrographs of the atrial organs of species of Gaziella, from the holotypes. a–c, Gaziella cochleata sp. n. d G. glandulosa sp. n. e, f G. microcirra sp. n. a–c, e–f Struc- tures oriented with the anterior end toward the top of the plate. d Structures oriented with the anterior end toward the left side of the plate