Echinoderes galadrielae Grzelak & amp; Sørensen 2022, sp. nov.
Author
Grzelak, Katarzyna
Author
Sørensen, Martin V.
text
Zoological studies
2022
55
15
1
31
http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7225407
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.7225407
Comparison between
Pleurobranchus reticulatus
from
Brazil
and Gulf of
Guinea
The comparison between the results of the present study with the description of
Neves et al. (2007)
reveals that the specimens of
P. reticulatus
from
Brazil
and from the Gulf of
Guinea
are similar, mainly in relation to the reproductive system (
e.g.
, shape of the penis with a wide leaflet, deferent duct long and highly convoluted and seminal receptacle elongated and convoluted). However, they show some intraespecific variations: in specimens from Gulf of
Guinea
the gonopore is surrounded by flaps clearly differentiate in two, in specimens from
Brazil
this arrangement is found (
Fig. 3B
), but also it can be observed a complex arrangement of the flaps, where the differentiation in two flaps is not clear; in the Brazilian specimens, the vagina is slightly convoluted, while in those from Gulf of
Guinea
, the vagina is very convoluted; spicules were found only in Brazilian specimens. The main difference is regarding the color of the mantle, specimens from Gulf of
Guinea
can be recognized by the thinner white reticulations on the mantle and the presence of dark tubercles inside the polygonal areas in the adults, while living specimens of the morphotype from
Brazil
have a yellowish-orange mantle with tubercles of many colors: dark red, red, bright orange, and pale orange with white spaces between the tubercles (reticulations). Despite such differences in mature specimens, juveniles are quite similar. In an early stage, the general color of the mantle is semi-transparent whitish with complex white reticulations; the tubercular spots are purple rose; and, the edge of mantle has a conspicuous yellow/orange line (
Fig. 1B
;
Neves et al. 2007
: fig. 1C).
Therefore, it is conclude that
P. reticulatus
from
Brazil
and Gulf of
Guinea
are the same morphotype mainly based on reproductive system, but also due the similarity of the general color pattern of the juveniles.
Edmunds (1968)
recorded
P. areolatus
from
Ghana
, providing a description that matches
P. reticulatus
, mainly with respect to the oval leaflet attached to the penis edge and the general color pattern, which is a opaque white lines with large black spots in the center of many of the polygons surrounded by this network. This led
Cervera et al. (1996)
re-identified it as
P. reticulatus
. The unique difference observed between specimens from
Ghana
and
Brazil
is the color of the foot in living specimens, described by
Edmunds (1968)
as maroon, while in the specimens studied here it is white with orange blotches.