Savignyella lafontii ( Audouin, 1826 ) Cryptogenic

Ruiz-Velasco, Sofía, Ros, Macarena, Guerra-García, José M. & López-Fé, Carlos M., 2025, Fouling bryozoans in recreational marinas of the Canary Islands (North-Eastern Atlantic) with new records of non-indigenous and cryptogenic species, Zootaxa 5656 (1), pp. 1-63 : 39-40

Savignyella lafontii ( Audouin, 1826) Cryptogenic

( Fig. 19 ; Table 19)

Eucratea lafontii Audouin, 1826: 242 .

Catenaria lafontii : Hastings 1930: 732.

Savignyella lafontii : Harmer 1957: 761–763, pl. 51, figs 11, 12; Tilbrook et al. 2001: 60, fig. 8B; Hayward & McKinney 2002: 40, figs 17D–F.

(A more extensive and detailed list of synonymies can be found in Abdel-Salam 2016).

Figured material. Gran Tarajal (28/06/23) (2C on rope) ( MNCN 25.03/4467).

Other material examined. Las Galletas (19/06/23) (1C on rope), Pasito Blanco (26/06/23) (2C on rope).

Description. Colonies brownish-red and erect, branched, with uniserial branches of claviform zooids ( Fig. 19A ). Zooids show a porous frontal shield and are composed by a proximal tube and a distal fusiform area where the frontal membrane is located ( Fig. 19B ). Primary orifice located terminally, D-shaped with four short spines around the margins ( Fig. 19C ). Rounded suboral avicularia. Ovicell globular ( Fig. 19A ).

Remarks. This characteristic species is the only one in the genus Savignyella .

Distribution and status. Savignyella lafontii is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas, being observed in the Indo-Pacific ( Wyatt et al. 2005; McCann et al. 2019), the Red Sea ( Abdel-Salam 2016), the Mediterranean ( Lezzi et al. 2018; Ramalho et al. 2022), and the Atlantic Ocean ( Ramalho 2006; Reverter-Gil et al. 2014; Xavier et al. 2023), including the Gulf of Mexico ( Felder & Camp 2009). In Macaronesia, it has been recorded in Madeira ( Ramalhosa et al. 2019) and the Canary Islands ( Castro et al. 2023). This wide distribution leads to uncertainty regarding its native origin. Therefore, it is considered cryptogenic in the Canary Islands.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Savignyella lafontii (Audouin, 1826) (MNCN 25.03/4467). A. Colony view through stereomicroscope and B. through SEM. C. Detail of autozooid. Scale bars: A = 250 µm; B = 400 µm; C = 200 µm.