New taxa and revisionary systematics of alcyonacean octocorals from the Pacific coast of North America (Cnidaria, Anthozoa)
Author
Williams, Gary C.
text
ZooKeys
2013
283
15
42
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.283.4803
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.283.4803
1313-2970-283-15
Cryptophyton jedsmithi
sp. n.
Figures 1-4, 19
Species diagnosis.
Stolons ribbon-like to somewhat broadened in some areas. Anthosteles hemispherical, arise directly from basal stolons, elevated stolonic bars or
transverse
platforms absent. Anthocodial armature absent. Sclerites of stolons and anthosteles 0.06-0.10 mm in diameter, mostly spiny balls or stellate bodies with projecting processes in three dimensions.
Type
material.
Holotype. CAS 177194. North America, U.S.A., California, San Diego County, San Diego, Point Loma,
32°42'N
,
117°15'20"W
, 12 February 2006, collector: Jeff Goddard, one specimen wet-preserved in 95% ethanol.
Habitat and distribution
(Figure 19): Under a boulder in the low rocky intertidal zone at the type locality.
Etymology.
The species is named for Jedediah Strong Smith, American trailblazer and cartographer, who explored vast regions of western North America between 1822 and 1831, and along the Pacific Coast, including San Diego in December of 1826 (
Brooks 1977
) - the area of the type locality of the new species.
Description.
Colonial morphology (Figures 1A, 2). The holotype consists of approximately eighty-five polyps arising from flattened basal stolons. The stolons encrust a piece of dead cheilostomatid bryozoan, 32 mm long by 20 mm wide. The surface of the bryozoan is interspersed with several calcareous tubes of a serpulid polychaete.
Polyps (Figures 1
B-C
). Anthosteles are moundlike, rounded, hemispherical to subcylindrical. Anthocodiae are mostly retracted within the anthosteles, although a
few
are emergent. The anthosteles are approximately equal in height and diameter, mostly 1-1.4 mm.
Sclerites (Figures 1
D-E
, 3, 4). Sclerites of the coenencyme and anthosteles resemble spiny balls or stellate bodies with projecting processes in three dimensions; 0.05 - 0.10 mm long. Sclerites are absent from the anthocodiae and polyp bodies.
Color
(Figures 1
A-C
). Color in life: the anthosteles are pale orange and the anthocodiae are white. Wet-preserved holotype: stolons and anthosteles light grayish white, while the emergent anthocodiae are white.
Figure
1.
Cryptophyton jedsmithi
sp. n. A Wet preserved holotype (CAS 177194); scale bar = 10 mm.
B-C
Living holotype, details of polyps; photos courtesy of Jeff Goddard; scale bar for both = 1.5 mm.
D-E
Light micrographs of coenenchymal sclerites; scale bar for both = 0.10 mm.
Figure 2.
Cryptophyton jedsmithi
sp. n. A portion of the holotype, showing arrangement of nine polyps on a membranous stolon; scale bar = 3.0 mm.
Differential diagnosis.
Two species of the genus
Cryptophyton
are known,
Cryptophyton goddardi
Williams, 2000 and
Cryptophyton jedsmithi
sp. n. The two species differ in sclerite shape. Those of
Cryptophyton goddardi
are irregularly-shaped radiates, tuberculated rods, and shuttles (
Williams 2000
: 337), while those of
Cryptophyton jedsmithi
sp. n. mostly resemble spiny balls or stellate bodies (Figures 1
D-E
, 3-4).
The geographic range of
Cryptophyton goddardi
was originally known only from the type locality of central Oregon on the Pacific Coast of the United States, but has recently been extended southwards to southern California, and has been collected at seven locations (Figure 19), while
Cryptophyton jedsmithi
sp. n. is known only from the type locality - San Diego, California (Figure 19).
Figure 3.
Cryptophyton jedsmithi
sp. n. Scanning electron micrographs of coenenchymal sclerites from the holotype. Scale bar = 0.03 mm.
Figure 4.
Cryptophyton jedsmithi
sp. n. Scanning electron micrographs of coenenchymal sclerites from the holotype; scale bar = 0.03 mm. Lower right, ultrastructural detail from center of the sclerite to the adjacent left; scale bar = 0.01mm.
Key to the species of
Cryptophyton
Cryptophyton goddardi
|
Cryptophyton jedsmithi
|