Ctenophores from the Oaxaca coast, including a checklist of species from the Pacific coast of Mexico
Author
Ruiz-Escobar, Fernando
Author
Valadez-Vargas, Diana K.
Author
Oliveira, Otto M. P.
text
Zootaxa
2015
3936
3
435
445
journal article
41803
10.11646/zootaxa.3936.3.9
64b181f8-9a7d-4589-bc0f-d727ac3f8514
1175-5326
245778
6F30423D-5B67-474F-A773-D747837AC611
Ocyropsis maculata
(
Rang, 1828
)
(
Fig. 2
)
Material examined.
Oaxaca,
Mexico
,
21 specimens
; UMAR-CTEN-001,
2 specimens
(Puerto Ángel,
15°39'31'' N
,
96°28'51'' W
,
2 m
,
4 January 2014
, coll. D.K. Valadez-Vargas); UMAR-CTEN-002,
4 specimens
(Zipolite,
15°38’55’’ N
,
96°31’30’’ W
,
2 m
,
11 January 2014
, coll. D.K. Valadez-Vargas); UMAR-CTEN-003,
7 specimens
(Puerto Ángel,
15°39'31 '' N
,
96°28'51'' W
,
2 m
,
12 January 2014
, coll. D.K. Valadez-Vargas); UMAR-CTEN-004,
4 specimens
(Zipolite,
15°39’14’’ N
,
96°31’44’’ W
,
2 m
,
18 January 2014
, coll. D.K. Valadez-Vargas); UMAR- CTEN-006,
4 specimens
(Zipolite,
15°38’49’’ N
,
96°31’46’’ W
,
2 m
,
25 January 2014
, coll. D.K. Valadez-Vargas).
Description.
Body translucent, without dark spots in the inner side of the lobes. Body highly compressed in the tentacular plane (
Fig. 2
A). Reduced tentacle bulbs present, along with tentacular canals. Lacking tentacles and warts. Substomodeal ctene rows with 35–37 ctene plates. Subtentacular ctene rows with 25–27 ctene plates, not reaching beyond the base of the lobes. Apical organ at the aboral extremity of the body (
Fig. 2
D). Two prominent cup-like lobes. Meridional canals extending to the lobes, presenting conspicuous turns inside it (
Fig. 2
D). Auricles arising at the base of the lobes, distally able to reach the mouth. Pharynx compressed in the tentacular plane, presenting a constriction in the middle part, forming a characteristic hourglass shape and opening in a broad mouth (
Fig. 2
C, D). Gonads present along the substomodeal meridional canals orally beyond the end of the ctene rows.
FIGURE 2.
Ocyropsis maculata
(Rang, 1828)
.
A, B,
aboral view of damaged adult;
C,
stomodeal view of a compete adult;
D,
oral view of damaged adult;
E,
juvenile specimen in the stomodeal plane. Legend: ao, apical organ; au, auricle; lo, lobe; mo, mouth; ph, pharynx; sscr, substomodeal ctene row; stcr, subtentacular ctene row.
Remarks.
The specimens studied here are similar to those described by
Wrobel & Mills (2003)
, except for the absence of large dark spots in the oral lobes. They can be regarded as
Ocyropsis maculata immaculata
according to the definition of
Harbison & Miller (1986)
. Although in principle we accept the diagnoses of
Harbison & Miller (1986)
for the two subspecies (
Ocyropsis maculata maculata
and
Ocyropsis maculata immaculata
), in this paper we do not distinguish between them, since we think that morphological variations are inherent to species and because the species level allows the inclusion of intermediary morphotypes.
Distribution.
Ocyropsis maculata
Rang, 1828
is known from tropical and subtropical epipelagic waters in the northeastern Pacific, occasionally as far north as southern California (
Wrobel & Mills 2003
) and the Gulf of
Mexico
(
Moss 2009
), also the western Pacific, Atlantic Ocean (
Harbison & Miller 1986
) and Indian Ocean (Gul & Oliveira, in press).