Cyerce goodheartae, Moreno & Medrano & Gosliner & Wilson & Krug & Valdés, 2025

Moreno, Karina, Medrano, Sabrina, Gosliner, Terrence M., Wilson, Nerida G., Krug, Patrick J. & Valdés, Ángel, 2025, Phylogenetic systematics of the genus Cyerce Bergh, 1870 (Mollusca: Heterobranchia: Sacoglossa: Caliphyllidae) from the Pacific and Indian oceans with descriptions of nine new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 204 (1) : -

Cyerce goodheartae sp.nov.

( Figs 20C, 22B, 24)

LSID: zoobank.org:act: 8A6F0679-FFB0-4863-A480-A19676D 679D3.

Cyerce sp. 1 Gosliner et al. 2018: 70 uppermost photo; Gosliner et al. 2018, 402: upper left photo.

Type material

Holotype: Wongat Island , Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, 26 Nov 2012, 5 mm preserved length, leg. J. Goodheart (isolate

MM 88, CASIZ 191438).

Other material examined

Cement Mixer Reef , Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, 11 Dec 2012, leg. J. Goodheart, 1 specimen 4.5 mm preserved length, dissected (isolate MM82 , CASIZ 190784 ). Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, 17 Nov 2012, leg. T.M. Gosliner, 1 specimen, dissected (isolate MM85 , CASIZ 191278 ). South-east of Tab Island, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, 30 Nov 2012, leg. V. Knutson, 1 specimen (isolate MM90 , CASIZ 191487 ). Anemone Reef, Madang, Papua New Guinea, 15 m depth, 10 Jan 1988, leg. T. Gosliner, 1 specimen ( CASIZ 070407 ) . Hole in the Wall, near Hussein Village, Madang, Papua New Guinea, 20 m depth, 3 Feb 1988, leg. T. Gosliner, 1 specimen ( CASIZ 070411 ) .

Range

Papua New Guinea (present study).

Description

External morphology: Body colour olive green with reddish brown markings ( Fig. 20C). Pericardium oval-shaped, white, with small, elevated bumps. Anus anterior to pericardium, white. Head cream with light brown markings outlining eyes, extending into rhinophores. Rhinophores translucent white, with small white clusters concentrated at tips. Oral tentacles translucent white with white specks scattered throughout. Cerata inflated, oblong, translucent white with small white specs scattered throughout; one light dorso-medial brown spot on both sides of each ceras. Ceratal margin outlined with faint reddish band; elevated small opaque white clusters give cerata frosted, dentate-like appearance. Several small white clusters concentrated beneath ceratal margin. Foot longer than body, translucent dorsally with several white specks and light brown striations.

Internal morphology: Pharynx about 2.5 mm in length, pharyngeal pouch larger than buccal bulb. Radula with 16 teeth in a 4.5-mm preserved length specimen ( CASIZ 190784); 8 on descending limb, 8 on ascending limb ( Fig. 24A) and 16 teeth in a 4.5-mm preserved length specimen ( CASIZ 191278); 7 on descending limb, 9 on ascending limb ( Fig. 24C). Leading tooth elongate, about 150 µm in length, slightly curved near tip; two rows of ~18 rhomboidal denticles along either side of tooth ( Fig. 24B, E). Ascus containing several used teeth of various sizes ( Fig. 24D). Denticle shape varies along tooth, from triangular to square; denticle size smaller near base. Penis with small stylet at opening ( Fig. 22B). Penial stylet short, about 200 µm in length, cylindrically shaped, hollow with oval opening.

Ecology Diet unknown.

Etymology

This species is named in honour of our friend and colleague Jessica Goodheart, who collected the holotype of this species as well as many other specimens here examined.

Remarks Threemethodsofspeciesdelimitationsupported C. goodheartae sp. nov. as a distinct candidate species that was sister to C. pavonina in phylogenetic analyses ( Fig. 1B). Cyerce goodheartae sp. nov. is morphologically distinct from all other species in possessing translucent light brown cerata with white speckling, a dorso-medial brown spot, and elevated white clusters outlining the margin. Both C. goodheartae sp. nov. and C. pavonina share a similar penial stylet and similar external morphology of their rhinophores and cerata. However, in Cyerce goodheartae sp. nov. the cerata are a lighter transluscent brown and lack the translucent tubercles found throughout the darker cerata in C. pavonina . Radular morphology also distinguishes the species: teeth in Cyerce goodheartae sp. nov. are slightly curved and moderately wide with larger denticles compared to teeth in C. pavonina which are long and narrow with reduced denticles. The tooth tip is also bent downward with several reduced denticles in C. pavonina , whereas the tooth tip is blunt in C. goodheartae sp. nov.