Additional records of bathyal ascidians (Tunicata) from the New Caledonia region
Author
Exbodi, Françoise Monniot
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-10-12
5195
3
201
223
journal article
163383
10.11646/zootaxa.5195.3.1
64857dc9-9d69-49d4-be4b-f87c810e6018
1175-5326
7187776
44C449B1-1536-40BE-AB30-4D728A90EC30
Pharyngodictyon magnifili
Monniot C. & Monniot F., 1991
Figure 1
Stations:
SPANBIOS: CP 5217:
4 specimens
. CP 5237:
1 specimen
.
The largest specimen has a spherical head
15mm
in diameter on a narrow peduncle
20mm
long (
Fig. 1A
). The tunic is vitreous with some encrusted sand. The apertures cannot be seen, and all zooids are contracted. Thoraces and abdomens are located in the head and the long post-abdomens extend inside the peduncle. The oral tentacles are thin, long, protruding out of the siphon (
Fig. 1B
). The branchial tissue has at least seven transverse bars with triangular dorsal languets. The stomach is elongated with longitudinal folds (
Fig. 1B
). The ovary is anterior to a clump of testis lobes. In one zooid
two immature
embryos are incubated in the thoracic cavity (
Fig. 1B
). One tadpole (
Fig. 1C
) was found free inside the colony head. It has three adhesive papillae in a line circled by very numerous ramified vesicles (
Fig. 1C
). Sensitive organs cannot be clearly seen.
FIGURE 1
.
Pharyngodictyon magnifili
. A, colony, scale bar = 1cm. B, zooid. C. larva stained with hemalum.
All characters of the SPANBIOS specimens well correspond to those already described from
New Caledonia
and figured in Monniot C. & Monniot F. 1991 (
Figs 7F
;
10
).