Bryocalyx, Cook & Bock, 2000

Cook, P. L. & Bock, P. E., 2000, Two new genera of Bryozoa (Calloporidae) from New Zealand, Journal of Natural History 34 (7), pp. 1125-1133 : 1128-1129

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.1080/00222930050020131

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15775373

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/DE388792-EE79-1D12-AB96-FDE2FE5E21F4

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Bryocalyx
status

gen. nov.

Bryocalyx View in CoL n. gen.

Type species: Bryocalyx cinnameus View in CoL n. sp.

Etymology

The name Bryocalyx was suggested by Dr D. P. Gordon; it is derived from a combination of Bryozoa, and calyx (Greek, kalyxÐ a cup), with reference to the shape of the colony.

Description

Colonies unilaminar, fan-shaped or conical, arising from an elongated ancestrula and anchored by rhizoids. Zooids with an extensive membranous frontal wall, gymnocyst marginal, cryptocyst and marginal spines absent. Ovicells large, with a partially uncalcified ectooecium and a thinly calci fi ed entooecial capsule. Avicularia absent.

Remarks

Bryocalyx is introduced for B. cinnameus n. sp., of which plentiful material exists. However, Gordon (1985) referred some minute fragments of another unilaminar species from the Kermadec Ridge to Watersia sp. , and fi gured the ovicells (1985: 162, fi gure 2). These two fragments have been re-examined. They consist of nine zooids and fi ve ovicells in total. All zooids and ovicells are unattached, unilaminar, very thinly calci fi ed, and somewhat shrunken and distorted. The zooids and ovicells resemble those of B. cinnameus , but are far smaller (see table 1 View Table 1 ). The inner entooecial capsule is globular, and the ectooecium has paired valves, meeting in a central suture, and each with a large, membrane-covered foramen laterally. The operculum appears to close the ovicell, but this may be an artifact of preservation. The basal walls of some zooids have a distinct keel, and one zooid at the lower end of the larger fragment is budded with its frontal side on the basal surface. This suggests that a conical colony, like that of B. cinnameus , which develops in the same way, may occur later in astogeny in this species.

The fragments are so fragile that further examination is not possible without damage. They were collected by RV Tangaroa at the centre of the Kermadec Ridge (NZOI Stn K839, 30°15.4'S, 178°24.0'W, 290 m, 29 July 1974). Until further material becomes available for examination, it seems advisable to leave this species of Bryocalyx unnamed at present.

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