New and little-known species of Didemnidae (Ascidiacea, Tunicata) from Australia (Part 3) Author Kott, Patricia text Journal of Natural History 2005 2005-06-30 39 26 2409 2479 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930500087077 journal article 10.1080/00222930500087077 1464-5262 5215680 Leptoclinides lissus Hastings, 1931 ( Figures 1C , 18D ) Leptoclinides lissus Hastings 1931 , p 93 and synonymy. Distribution Previously recorded (see Kott 2001 ): Queensland (Low Is). New records: Northern Territory (Bynoe Harbour, QM G308709 ) . Description The newly recorded colony is a firm, irregular sheet with grey patches in the surface where black pigment particles are mixed with the crowded white spicules in the thin surface layer of test. The surface of the colony is hard and a superficial spicule-free layer of bladder cells is not present. Spicules are present throughout, but are most crowded in the surface and on the base of the colony. They are stellate, to 0.56 mm diameter, with 9–11 conical or chisel-shaped ray tips. Primary common cloacal canals extend almost the whole length of the zooids and penetrate around the relatively large thoraces of individual zooids. The vas deferens coils seven times around the four or five testis follicles. Many embryos, including tailed larvae, are in the basal half of the colony. The larval trunk, 0.64 mm long, has three pairs of ectodermal ampullae, three antero-median adhesive organs and a short external horizontal ectodermal ampulla on the left side. The tail is wound three-quarters of the way around the trunk. Remarks Other than the holotype , the newly recorded specimen is the only one known and the larva is described for the first time. The species differs from most in the genus in its extensive thoracic common cloacal systems and its crowded spicules. The shape of the spicules and the number of rays is similar to L. aciculus Kott, 2001 , L. constellatus Kott, 2001 and L. placidus Kott, 2001 (which all have larger spicules), L. compactus Kott, 2001 (which has a particularly extensive three-dimensional cloacal system and spicules confined to thin layers in surface and base and around the common cloacal cavity), and L. rigidus Kott, 2001 (which has a superficial layer of bladder cells).