Nevianipora pulcherrimoidea (Liu in Liu, Yin & Ma, 2001 ) Liu & Liu & Zágoršek, 2019

Liu, H., Liu, X. & Zágoršek, K., 2019, Cyclostome bryozoans from Qingdao, South Yellow Sea, China, Zootaxa 4603 (3), pp. 473-500 : 490-491

Nevianipora pulcherrimoidea (Liu in Liu, Yin & Ma, 2001) n. comb.

( Figs 43–45 )

v. Tubulipora pulcherrimoidea Liu in Liu, Yin & Ma, 2001: p. 790 , pl. 7, figs 4, 5 (cum syn.).

? Tubulipora pulcherrima: Harmer, 1915: p. 129 , pl. 9, figs 1–5.

Material examined. Samples MBM 284447, MBM 284374, MBM 284373, MBM 284335, MBM 284476, MBM 284475, MBM 284474, MBM 284478 (Lingshan Island), MBM 284473 and MBM 284498 ( Jiaozhou Bay), MBM 284431 (Qingdao) and more than hundred colonies from samples MBM 0 92245, MBM 0 92255, MBM 0 92340, MBM 0 92370, MBM 194663, MBM 194665, MBM 194770 (Lingshan Island), MBM 0 92378 and MBM 0 91767 ( Jiaozhou Bay) and First Bathing Beach.

Description. Colony erect, branching. Zooids arranged in indistinct rows. Rarely calcified pillars made by numerous kenozooids and connecting neighbouring branches develop. Gonozooid extended, slightly wider than long; ooeciopore oval, elongate and large; ooeciostome slightly curved distally, frontally or distally directed, edges extended, not directly attached to the neighbouring autozooidal tube. Dorsal side of the colony smooth and porous, with visible growth lines.

Remarks. Idmonea pulcherrima Kirkpatrick, 1890 is very similar to Nevianipora pulcherrimoidea n. comb. in having connecting kenozooids, and curved ooeciostomes. Liu in Liu et al. (2001) argued that this species differed from Kirkpatrick’s species only in having “concentric wrinkles on the basal surface of the branch”. The type specimens of Idmonea pulcherrima Kirkpatrick, 1890 stored at the Natural History Museum in London (NHMUK 1889.8.21.73) from Tizard Reef also show much narrower branches, smaller gonozooids with more convex walls, large circular ooeciopores and denser connecting kenozooids. These features clearly differentiate I. pulcherrima from N. pulcherrimoidea n. comb.

Nevianipora pulcherrimoidea n. comb. differs from N. rugatata n. comb. mainly in the shape of the ooeciopore, which in the former species is oval, elongate ( Fig. 45 ), while in the latter species is almost rounded ( Fig. 41 ).

Harmer (1915) described I. pulcherrima (placing it in the genus Tubulipora ) in detail and proved that kenozooids are not always present, and the ooeciopore had a shape very similar to that of the studied material (with curved peristome and extended edges). The ooeciopore in the types of I. pulcherrima is very different to that of the studied material, so, we keep these species separate.

Liu in Liu et al. (2001) synonymised the new species with materials previously determined as Diaperoecia radicata ( Kirkpatrick, 1888) by Lu (1991) and Huang et al. (1990). Kirkpatrick (1888) did not observe the ooeciopore in I. radicata . Canu & Bassler (1929) placed I. radicata in Diaperoecia (p. 538, pl. 82, figs 1–5) and described the ooeciopore as small and transverse orthogonal, arguing that this species differs from I. pulcherrima mainly in the shape of the ooeciostome (never urn-shaped) and the absence of kenozooids.

Nevianipora floridana ( Osburn, 1940) as described by Ramalho et al. (2009) showed a similar arrangement of the gonozooid, including the oval ooeciopore. However, in this Brazilian material, the ooeciopore is turned proximally, and the branches are distinctly narrower.

We reallocated the described species in Nevianipora because of the presence of branches with apertures on one side, frontal gonozooid with distinct ooeciostome not attached to autozooidal tubes, and the absence of kenozooids.

Occurrence. Lingshan Island, Jiaozhou Bay and the First Bathing Beach.

Figures

FIGURES 43–45. Nevianipora pulcherrimoidea (Liu in Liu, Yin & Ma, 2001) n. comb. Lingshan Island. 43. MBM 284478, general view showing the arrangement of autozooids. 44, 45. MBM 284335 and MBM 284447, details of two gonozooids with an oval ooeciopore and ooeciostome with extended lips. Scale bars: 43 = 1 mm; 44, 45 = 100 µm.

FIGURES 40–42. Nevianipora rugatata (Liu in Liu, Yin & Ma, 2001) n. comb. Lingshan Island. 40. MBM 284446, general view showing the arrangement of autozooids. 41, 42. MBM 284477, details of the gonozooid with a circular ooeciopore. Scale bars: 40 = 1 mm; 41, 42 = 100 µm.