Corresponding author: Ana Carolina S. Almeida (
A new species of the erect cheilostome bryozoan
Marine bryozoans are found in all oceans, from the intertidal to abyssal depths. The vast majority of some 5,689 living species (
Among the erect bryozoans,
Over the past decade, knowledge of the diversity of marine bryozoans in Brazil has grown significantly and more than 100 new species were described (e.g.,
Here we formally describe this new taxon from state of Bahia, Northeast Brazil, and provide a diagnosis for it based on specimens from the same locality (i.e. Todos os Santos Bay) as those studied by Souza (
All type and non-type specimens analyzed in this study are deposited in the Museu de Zoologia of Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil. The specimens were collected by dredge in different localities between 1997 and 2006 along the coast of Bahia, northeast Brazil, from 15 to 50 m (Fig.
Distribution map of
Colony erect, cylindrical, jointed, symmetrically bifurcating and attached at the base by chitinous rhizoids. Branches formed by 6–20 zooidal series, 0.353–0.372 mm in diameter when formed only by infertile autozooids, but larger in regions of fertile zooids, about 0.544–0.574 mm in diameter (Fig.
Holotype: Brazil,
Atlantic: Brazil (Bahia); infralittoral, from 15 to 50 m.
The species epithet is in honor of Orane Alves (Universidade Federal da Bahia), in recognition of her contribution to the knowledge of Brazil’s marine biodiversity.
Among
Among other
The morphological characters commonly used to discriminate among
At least 58 species of
Tabular identification key to Atlantic species of
Species | Autozooid | Opesia | Avicularia | Dimorphism in fertile zooid | Ovicell/Aperture | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shape | Cryptocyst | Distal rim | Proximal rim | Distal condyles | Type | Shape | Foramen | Condyles | |||
rhombic | granular | beaded | convex | – | I | rhombic | bell-shaped | – | – | immersed/with rectangular lip | |
rhombic | smooth | smooth | convex | – | I | hexagonal | subtriangular | – | – | immersed/semicircular | |
hexagonal | smooth | beaded | convex | – | – | – | – | – | – | immersed/with rectangular lip | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | I | hexagonal | subtriangular | + | – | immersed/oval to circular | |
rhombic | granular | beaded | convex | + | F | semicircular | semicircular | – | + (hexagonal) | immersed/circular, with rectangular lip in later astogeny | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | I | hexagonal | subcordate | – | – | immersed/with rectangular lip | |
hexagonal | granular | ? | convex | + | I | rhombic | subtriangular | – | + (rhombic) | immersed/semicircular | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | + | F | quadrangular | semicircular | – | – | immersed/oval | |
hexagonal | granular | ? | convex | – | F | circular | semicircular | – | + (with larger opesial condyles) | immersed/with semicircular lip | |
rhombic/hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | F | quadrangular to rounded | semielliptical | + | – | immersed/circular, with rectangular lip in later astogeny | |
hexagonal | smooth | beaded | convex | – | F | semicircular | semicircular | - | – | immersed/with rectangular lip | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | I | hexagonal | triangular | + | + (with concave proximal rim) | immersed/circular | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | I | hexagonal | semicircular | + | – | immersed/oval to circular | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | F | quadrangular | mushroom-shaped | + | – | immersed/with rectangular lip | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | I | hexagonal | sagittate | – | + (rhombic) | immersed/with rectangular lip | |
rhombic | granular | beaded | convex | ? | I | ? | triangular | ? | ? | ? | |
hexagonal | granular | smooth | convex | + | – | – | – | – | + (rhombic, with larger opesia) | immersed/semicircular | |
rhombic/hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | I | hexagonal | triangular | – | – | immersed/circular | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | + | I | hexagonal | semicircular | + | – | immersed/circular | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | - | I | hexagonal | triangular | + | – | immersed/with rectangular lip | |
hexagonal | granular | smooth | straight | + | F | circular | semicircular | + | – | immersed/with rectangular lip | |
hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | I | rhombic | subtriangular | + | – | prominent/triangular | |
rhombic/hexagonal | granular | beaded | convex | – | I | hexagonal | subtriangular | + | – | Immersed/semielliptical to subtriangular | |
rhombic | smooth | ? | straight | – | ? | ? | ? | ? | + (with larger opesia) | immersed/triangular |
This study is part of A.C.S. Almeida’s PhD thesis supported by PROTAX-CNPq (440620/2015-5) through the Graduate Program in Animal Biology (Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal) of the Departamento de Zoologia, UFPE. We are grateful to Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz (FIOCRUZ/BA) for SEM images, Orane Alves (Laboratório de Geoecologia de Sedimentos Marinhos, UFBA), Marlene Peso-Aguiar (Laboratório de Malacologia e Ecologia de Bentos, UFBA) and Ulisses Pinheiro (Laboratório de