Protiaropsis pedunculata Xu, Huang & Guo

Zhenzu Xu, Jiaqi Huang, Mao Lin, Donghui Guo & Chunguang Wang, 2016, Taxonomic notes on Hydroidomedusae (Cnidaria) from South China Sea II: Family Bythotiaridae (Anthomedusae), Zoological Systematics 41 (2), pp. 149-157 : 153-154

Protiaropsis pedunculata Xu, Huang & Guo , sp. nov.

( Figs 8 , 11–12 )

Material examined. Holotype (TIO 015), East China Sea, station DF083 (27°37’N, 123°41’E), depth 103 m, 24 July 2009, coll. Donghui Guo.

Diagnosis. Umbrella bell-shaped with scattered nematocyst clusters on exumbrella; manubrium on short and broad gastric peduncle; with 4 large, interradial gonads, no transverse folds.

Description. Umbrella bell-shaped, 1.0 mm in height, 0.8 mm in width, with rounded summit without marked apical process, jelly uniformly thick, with scattered cnidocysts on exumbrella; manubrium cylindrical, mounted upon the distal end of the short and broad gastric peduncle, about 1/2 length of bell cavity; with wide quadratic mouth and slightly flared lips; with 4 large gonads, one covering each interradial wall of manubrium, no transverse folds; with 4 simple radial canals and circular canal; no centripetal canals; 4 perradial and 4 interradial hollow primary marginal tentacles, without base swelling, but their basal part adnate to exumbrella, sunk into a narrow fissure between two marginal lobes, each tentacle with a terminal knob; no secondary tentacles; without ocelli; velum narrow.

Distribution. East China Sea.

Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin pedunculata , meaning peduncle, referring to the manubrium with gastric peduncle.

Remarks. The new species can be easily distinguished from the other species of Protiaropsis by: 1) manubrium mounted upon the distal end of the short and broad gastric peduncle; 2) exumbrella with scattered cnidocyst clusters; 3) with 4 large gonads, covering each interradial wall of manubrium, no transverse folds (see the key of Protiaropsis ).

Figures

Figures 7 – 9. Bythotiaridae spp., side view. 7. Eumedusa sp. 8. Protiaropsis pedunculata Xu, Huang & Guo, sp. nov. 9. P. tetranema Xu, Huang & Wang, sp. nov. Scale bars: 7 = 1.0 mm; 8 – 9 = 0.5 mm.

Figures 10 – 13. Bythotiaridae spp. 10. Eumedusa sp., side view. 11 – 12. Protiaropsis pedunculata Xu, Huang & Guo, sp. nov. 11. Side view. 12. Gonads, apical view. 13. P. tetranema Xu, Huang & Wang, sp. nov., side view. Scale bars: 10 = 1.0 mm; 11 – 13 = 0.5 mm.