Late Neogene Lophophaenidae (Nassellaria, Radiolaria) from the eastern equatorial Pacific
Author
Trubovitz, Sarah
Author
Renaudie, Johan
Author
Lazarus, David
Author
Noble, Paula
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-07-04
5160
1
1
158
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5160.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5160.1.1
11755334
10544058
A9179C79-EE43-44E4-8723-919505500049
Lophophaena radians
Ehrenberg, 1874
Lophophaena radians
n. sp.
,
Ehrenberg, 1874
, p. 243
[not figured].
Lophophaena radians
Ehrenberg, Ehrenberg, 1876
, pl. 8, figs. 7–9.
Lophophaenoma radians
(Ehrenberg)
,
Petrushevskaya, 1981
, p. 86
, fig. 78.
?
Lophophaena lynx
n. sp.
,
Ehrenberg, 1876
, pl. 8, fig. 13.
Lophophaena radians
Ehrenberg,
Kamikuri, 2015
, pl. 13, fig. 30.
Lophophaena radians
Ehrenberg,
Ogane
et al.,
2009
, pl. 3, figs. 3a–b, 5a–d; pl. 79, figs. 4a–c.
Remarks.
This species has a very convoluted history in the literature.After it was described and figured by
Ehrenberg (1874
,
1876
),
Haeckel (1887)
split the concept into two separate species, apparently on the basis of isolated versus interconnected horns on the cephalis. He asserted that
Ehrenberg (1876)
’s pl. 8, figs. 7–8 (with interconnected spines) should be considered a junior synonym of
Lophophaena circumtexta
Haeckel
(not to be confused with
Arachnocorys circumtexta
Haeckel
), which to our knowledge was never illustrated beyond Ehrenberg’s illustrations of
Lophophaena radians
.
Haeckel (1887)
retained the name
Lophophaena radians
for
Ehrenberg (1876)
’s pl. 8, fig. 9 only (which is identical to figs. 7–8, except for the lack of interconnected horns), and questionably synonymized it with
Lophophaena lynx
Ehrenberg.
L. lynx
does indeed appear to be very similar in overall shape and proportions to
Lophophaena radians
Ehrenberg 1876
, pl. 8, fig. 9, but may have fewer horns and is smaller in size. Therefore, it is questionably included in our synonymy. It is our opinion that all
three specimens
of
L. radians
illustrated by
Ehrenberg (1876)
are the same species, so we do not adopt Haeckel’s revision or synonymy here. Interconnections between horns can sometimes be an ontogenetic character, as evidenced by other lophophaenid species, so should not be the sole basis of splitting species concepts.
Petrushevskaya (1971)
designated
L. circumtexta
(junior synonym:
L. radians
Ehrenberg
) as the
type
species of
Lophophaenoma
, which she elevated to the genus rank after it was described as a subgenus of
Lophophaena
by
Haeckel (1887)
. However, in the taxonomic remarks section, she states that
L. radians
Ehrenberg
is the
type
species of
Lophophaenoma
, and that
L. circumtexta
Haeckel
is its junior synonym.
Petrushevskaya (1971)
also considered all specimens figured by Ehrenberg (pl. 8, figs. 7–9) to be part of
L. radians
, including forms with and without interconnected cephalic spines (contrary to Haeckel). Later,
Petrushevskaya (1981)
found that
Lophophaenoma
should be demoted back to a subgenus as it is largely a junior synonym of
Arachnocorys
,
although some species in
Lophophaenoma
should be placed in
Peromelissa
or
Lophophaena
instead. It is unclear to which genus
Petrushevskaya (1981)
thought
L. radians
should belong, since it was the
type
species of a genus determined to be a junior synonym of
Arachnocorys
(p. 86–87), but figured as an example of
Lophophaenoma
with the genus name
Lophophaena
(fig. 78). Here we do not believe this species should be in
Arachnocorys
, because it lacks gaps between the cephalis and thorax and has a more cylindrical, ribless thorax than other species in
Arachnocorys
.
Petrushevskaya (1971)
also considered
L. radians
to be different from
Arachnocorys
for its lack of gaps between cephalis and thorax.
Kamikuri (2015)
was the most recent author to illustrate this species; he did so under its original name,
Lophophaena radians
Ehrenberg. Here
we follow
Kamikuri (2015)
and also use the original name, although no specimens were observed during our study. Other than
Kamikuri (2015)
and the re-illustrations of Ehrenberg’s collection by
Ogane
et al.
(2009)
, we do not know of other photographs of
L. radians
, so this species is in need of additional documentation to be fully understood.