Qingdaoella conaria n. sp.

(Figs 36–39)

lsid:zoobank.org:act: DE989AF5-2990-49F0-9FE0-0DBC16C2DC52

? Tubulipora phalangea: Harmer, 1898: p. 94, pl. 8, figs 5, 6.

Diagnosis: Similar to the previous species, except that it has short, conical/tubular (wider at the base, narrower at the top) ooeciostome, directing frontally or slightly proximally; ooeciopore much wider than that of the previous species; protoecium shallow, with smooth margins.

Holotype. Specimen MBM 284351 from Lingshan Island (Figs 36, 37).

Paratypes. Specimens MBM 284383, MBM 284382, MBM 284384 ( Zhonggang), MBM 284438, MBM 284435 ( Luxun Park), MBM 284439, MBM 284451, MBM 284450, MBM 284441, MBM 284442 (Jiaozhou Bay), MBM 284339, MBM 284338, MBM 284337, MBM 284336, MBM 284389, MBM 284388, MBM 284386 ( Xuejiadao), MBM 284352 ( Lingshan Island), MBM 284354 ( First Bathing Beach), MBM 284508, MBM 284509 (Houwan, Huangdao) .

Additional material. More than twenty colonies from samples MBM 194757 (Lingshan Island), MBM 194841 (Zhonggang), MBM 195087 (Luxun Park), MBM 0 92380, MBM 0 92347 (Jiaozhou Bay, MBM 194789, MBM 194787 (Xuejiadao), MBM 194679 (Houwan, Huangdao) and MBM 194748 (First Bathing Beach).

Etymology. Referring to the conical/tubular ooeciostome.

Description. Colony encrusting, lobate, oval-to-fan-shaped, approximately 3 mm wide by 2 mm long. Autozooids arranged in uniserial, rarely multiserial, radial rows; peristomes long (up to 300 µm), perforated by scattered pseudopores; apertures rounded square to circular (100–110 µm in diameter), 2–5 joined together, forming radially oriented fascicles. Gonozooid very large (1500–1600 µm wide by 600–800 µm long); more than one gonozooids often developed in each colony, never merged together, with distinct margins, frontal wall penetrated by numerous (up to 20) autozooidal tubes, and evenly perforated, with pseudopores ca. 10–12 µmin diameter. Ooeciostome moderately long (about 40–100 µm), conical (80–100 µm wide at the base, 50–60 µm at the top), obliquely oriented, often vertical to the frontal surface of the colony. Ooeciopore circular, diameter approximately 50–55 µm. Protoecium circular, slightly elongated, with smooth margins and a flat frontal wall, no pseudopores.

Remarks. This species differs from Qingdaoella miaotiao n. sp. in having smaller and not merged gonozooid (the edges of the gonozooid is distinguishable), shorter conical (not cylindrical) ooeciostome, directed frontally or proximally (not distally). Moreover, Qingdaoella miaotiao n. sp. has more isolated apertures and less pronounced pseudopores on the autozooidal peristomes. The protoecium is slightly elongate (approximately 100 x 90 µm), while Q. miaotiao n. sp. has much larger (diameter about 160–180 µm) and more circular protoecium.

Qingdaoella concinna n. comb. differs from Q. conaria n. sp. in having autozooidal tubes arranged independently (lacking any traces of fascicles), apertures very regularly circular and presence of pseudopores on the peristome.

Tubulipora phalangea Couch, 1844 as illustrated and described by Harmer (1898) is similar to Q. conaria n. sp. in having autozooids in fascicles, but its short and wide ooeciostome resembled those in the genus Tubulipora . The original description and illustration of T. phalangea by Couch (1844) is similar to Q. conaria n. sp. in having lobate colony, autozooid in radial rows, and similar position of gonozooid, but because there is no information about the ooeciostome, we are unable to synonymise this species.

Occurrence. Zhonggang, Luxun Park, Jiaozhou Bay, Xuejiadao, First Bathing Beach, and Lingshan Island.