Oral Spines Research Articles

Revealing the diversity of Parasmittina Osburn, 1952 (Bryozoa, Cheilostomatida) from the Southwest Atlantic: Species complexes, non-native and new species.

Parasmittina is the most representative cheilostome genus of the family Smittinidae, often reported in the fouling non-indigenous marine community. Here, we present a review of Parasmittina species reported in the Southwestern Atlantic including the characterization of one species from Argentina (P. dubitata) and ten from the Brazilian coast: P. abrolhosensis, P. alba, P. bimucronata, P. ligulata comb. nov., P. longirostrata, P. pinctatae, P. serrula, P. simpulata, P. winstonae and the new species Parasmittina falciformis sp. nov. The new species is characterized by a smooth distally primary orifice with 1-2 oral spines, large lyrula, serrated condyles with hooked tips, and two types of avicularia-small and subtriangular and large sublanceolate. This study does not recognize four species previous recorded in Brazil: reports of P. betamorphaea and P. trispinosa are now assigned to P. pinctatae; records of P. munita belong to P. falciformis sp. nov.; and reports of P. spathulata encompass at least two taxa, including P. abrolhosensis and P. simpulata. In this study, five species complexes (P. alba, P. longirostrata, P. serrula, P. simpulata and P. winstonae) were identified and require further investigations. While six species characterized here were first described based on specimens from the Southwestern Atlantic (P. abrolhosensis, P. alba, P. dubitata, P. ligulata comb. nov., P. simpulata and P. falciformis sp. nov.), the remaining species are mainly known from the Indo-Pacific. These taxa are here recognized as exotic (P. longirostrata) and cryptogenic (P. bimucronata, P. pinctatae, P. serrula and P. winstonae) in the studied area. Most of the non-native taxa are widespread along the Brazilian coast, growing on both artificial and natural surfaces, indicating that they are well-established in the area. As non-native bryozoans can negatively influence the environment, affecting human economic activities and beach usage, further studies on the fauna presented here are suggested to determine the origin of these taxa and help prevent bioinvasion events along the SW Atlantic.

Scanning electron microscopy study of Lars Silns cheilostome bryozoan type specimens in the historical collections of natural history museums in Sweden.

The type specimens of 42 cheilostome bryozoan species introduced by Lars Siln between 1938 and 1954 and housed at three different Swedish institutions (the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, the Biological Museum in Lund and the Museum of Evolution in Uppsala) are here revised using scanning electron microscopy, with two exceptions, for the first time. As a result of this revision, new morphological observations were made for some species, such as ooecia in Antropora erecta, a costal pseudopore in Jullienula hippocrepis, intracolonial variation in the number of intracostal windows in Costaticella gisleni, and oral spines in Triphyllozoon mauritzoni. Some other observations confirmed the presence of structures/polymorphs in type material that had previously only been noted in non-type specimens, such as spinose interzooidal kenozooids in Retevirgula triangulata and putative brooding zooids in Bugulina kiuschiuensis. Structures originally interpreted as hydroid tube openings on the dorsal side of Triphyllozoon microstigmatum were confirmed to be avicularia, while the supposed kenozooidal attachment rootlet of Fedora nodosa might be the polypide tube of a coronate scyphozoan. In addition, the original combination Heliodoma goesi is here reinstated after Lagaaij assigned the species to Setosellina in 1963. The following new combinations are also proposed: Labioporella aviculifera for Siphonoporella aviculifera; Mangana canui and Mangana incrustata for Callopora canui and Tegella incrustata, respectively; Sphaerulobryozoon ovum for Fedora ovum. Lectotypes were selected when appropriate. This work clarifies the exact identity of some species that have never been recorded after their first description, such as Stylopoma magnovicellata and three species of Triphyllozoon, and contributes to the current increasing effort to digitize historical key specimens in natural history museum collections.

A New Shallow-water Species of the Genus <i>Odontohenricia</i> from Northern Japan (Asteroidea: Spinulosida: Echinasteridae)

A new shallow-water species of the genus Odontohenricia Rowe and Albertson, 1988 is described from the coast of Rishiri Island, Hokkaido, northeastern Japan. The new species is different from other congeners in having intermarginal series extending 2/3 of the arm length, abactinal spines more than 0.3 mm in length, and oral spines with opaque and serrated tips.

New species and new records of Reteporella (Bryozoa: Cheilostomatida) from Greenland waters.

New species and new records of the cheilostome bryozoan family Phidoloporidae are reported from the poorly studied shelf and continental slope of Greenland. Reteporella vitta n. sp. differs from congeners in the shape and size of fenestrulae, the size of autozooids and their arrangement within the colony, features of the orificial complex, including the indistinctly denticulate distal rim, shape of the condyles and height of the peristome, as well as the shape and location of the suboral avicularium, and the morphology of the ovicell. Reteporella obscura n. sp. differs from other Reteporella species in a unique combination of the following characters: colony surface texture, shape of orifice and condyles, shape of the suboral avicularium, and the morphology of the ovicell. Other specimens of Reteporella from Greenland were identified as R. watersi (Nordgaard, 1907), firstly recorded in southern and western parts of the study area, and as R. grimaldii (Jullien, 1903) and R. beaniana (King, 1846), previously known only from some localities of western and eastern Greenland and recorded abundantly in 2016. Reteporella watersi specimens from Greenland differ from conspecific material from the Faroe Islands in lacking oral spines and in the size of zooidal characters.

New early Miocene species of the cheilostome bryozoan Microporella from the South Island of New Zealand

Since its first appearance in the early Miocene, the cheilostome bryozoan genus Microporella has been cosmopolitan, recorded from most continents. However, Miocene Microporella records in New Zealand are scarce, and currently limited to a single middle Miocene species identified as Microporella hyadesi (a Recent bifoliate erect form originally described from Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego) from the Mt. Brown ‘E’ Limestone Formation of North Canterbury. Here, we describe and illustrate three new early Miocene (Otaian–Altonian New Zealand stages corresponding to the Aquitanian–Burdigalian) species, namely Microporella incurvata sp. nov., M. gladirostra sp. nov. and M. whiterocki sp. nov., that represent the geologically oldest regional examples of the genus to date. A fourth species is left in open nomenclature because complete ovicells are not preserved in the only recovered specimen. The colonies of Microporella were collected from several rock formations exposed in limestone quarries on the South Island. The three new species share ovicells with a personate structure, but differ in the appearance of the ooecial surface (evenly pseudoporous versus imperforate), shape of the ascopore opening (cribrate versus non-cribrate), number of oral spine bases, and shape of the avicularian rostrum and crossbar. We also illustrate for the first time ovicells of another fossil species, Microporella rusti, from the Pleistocene Nukumaru Limestone Formation of the Wanganui Basin on the North Island. The ovicells of this taxon are rare, being found in only six of several hundred specimens collected to date. The ovicells of M. rusti are also very large, covering the entire orifice of the maternal zooid, similar to those of some other Microporella species all characterized by erect bifoliate colonies contrasting with the encrusting colonies of M. rusti. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5430969F-B75B-40E7-8F65-74CDC87AA662 Mali H. Ramsfjell [m.h.ramsfjell@nhm.uio.no] Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, PO Box 1172, Oslo 0318, Norway; Paul D. Taylor [p.taylor@nhm.ac.uk] Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK; Emanuela Di Martino [e.d.martino@nhm.uio.no] Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, PO Box 1172, Oslo 0318, Norway.

Stemmatostoma cribbi n. sp. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from Freshwater Fishes in the Wet Tropics Bioregion of Queensland, Australia.

A survey of the parasite fauna of freshwater fishes from the Wet Tropics Bioregion in Queensland, Australia, revealed the presence of a new species of Stemmatostoma Cribb, 1986 (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae). Stemmatostoma cribbi n. sp. is described from the intestine and pyloric caeca of 2 species of grunter (Terapontidae), Hephaestus fuliginosus (Macleay) and Hephaestus tulliensis (De Vis), and the Jungle perch (Kuhliidae), Kuhlia rupestris (Lacepède), collected from the Barron and Mulgrave-Russell River drainage divisions in tropical north Queensland, Australia. Stemmatostoma cribbi is primarily distinguished morphologically from the type and only other species in the genus, Stemmatostoma pearsoni Cribb, 1986, in having consistently fewer oral spines (14 in S. cribbi vs. 16 in S. pearsoni). Alignment of novel molecular data for S. cribbi and S. pearsoni revealed that they differ genetically by 26 nucleotides (2.1%) over the 1,258 bp partial large subunit (LSU) region, 1 nucleotide (0.8%) over the 121 bp partial 5.8S region, and 23 nucleotides (7.2%) over the entire 318 bp ITS2 rDNA region. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of the partial LSU region for the species of Stemmatostoma sequenced here were used to explore the relationships of these species to other cryptogonimid species reported from freshwater ecosystems.

A New Genus and Species of Chaperiidae (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata) from the Early Miocene of Patagonia (Argentina)

The family Chaperiidae reaches its highest biodiversity in the southern hemisphere. The main morphological feature characterizing the family is a pair of calcareous laminar structures associated with the insertion of the operculum occlusor muscles. The aim of this study is to describe Aluis spinettai gen. et sp. nov., from material collected in the Monte Leon, the Chenque, and the Puesto del Museo formations (early Miocene, Patagonia, Argentina). A. spinettai has erect bilaminar colonies, crenulated sutures between zooids, an extensive cryptocyst and spherical ovicells; gymnocyst, oral spines, and avicularia are absent. The new species exhibits a remarkable morphological convergence with a species of Aspidostoma from the early Miocene (Chenque Formation) of Patagonia. In some areas of the colony, the cryptocysts were pierced by circular drill holes made by an unknown predator. The stratigraphic distribution of A. spinettai ranges from ~19 to 17 Ma (Burdigalian). Its presence suggests a correlation between the upper levels of the Monte Leon Formation and the lower levels of the Chenque Formation. The paleogeographic distribution of this new species spans at least 500 km along the southern Atlantic coast of South America. The living representatives of the Chaperiidae in the Southwest Atlantic do not seem related to A. spinettai. doi: 10.5710/AMGH.30.08.2019.3281

A new species of the genus Hincksina (Bryozoa: Cheilostomatida: Flustridae) from the Faroe Islands slope

A new species of the genus Hincksina Norman, 1903, H. magnicellata sp. nov., is described and illustrated. Its specimens were found on stones collected on the slope around the Faroe Islands archipelago. Description of the new species in the genus Hincksina is based on an extensive opesia, on endozooidal ovicells and on the presence of interzooidal avicularia, as well as oral and mural spines.

Cribrilinids (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) associated with deep-water coral habitats at the Great Bahama Bank slope (NW Atlantic), with description of new taxa

Four cribrilinid bryozoans associated with deep-water corals (578-682 m depth) from the Great Bahama Bank slope, are described, two of them are new. The generic allocation of some species prompted us to raise the subgenera Puellina, Cribrilaria, and Glabrilaria to genus rank. The new combination Cribrilaria saginata (Winston, 2005) n. comb. is proposed. Genus Glabrilaria is reported from the NW Atlantic for the first time based on the description of Glabrilaria hirsuta Rosso n. sp. and Glabrilaria polita Rosso n. sp. The new genus Teresaspis Rosso n. gen. is erected, and Teresaspis lineata (Canu Bassler, 1928) n. comb. is proposed as its type species. The new genus Harmelinius Rosso n. gen. is erected for Cribrilina uniserialis (Harmelin, 1978). Both genera have uniserial colonies formed by slightly caudate zooids with extensive gymnocyst and a frontal shield of flattened costae. Teresaspis lineata n. comb., however, has costae with pelmatidia that are connected by few intercostal bridges and separated by intercostal spaces, four orificial costa-like processes with the proximal pair arching above the orifice, hyperstomial acleithral ovicells with a pseudoporous ooecium formed by the distal zooid or a kenozooid, two types of kenozooids (large with costate frontal shield and small with smooth shield and central opesia), and an ancestrula with costate frontal shield. Avicularia are apparently absent in this species. In contrast, the type species of Harmelinius Rosso n. gen. has costae lacking pelmatidia and which are separated by slit-like intercostal spaces. The hyperstomial cleithral ovicells have smooth ooecia with a median suture and without pseudopores, and are formed by a distal kenozooid associated with a small avicularium. Additional paired oral avicularia are occasionally present, as are large kenozooids with a central opesia. Oral spines or spine-like processes are absent. Taxonomy of the above reported cribrilinid genera is discussed in detail together with the geographic distribution of all mentioned taxa.

Two species of Neometadena Hafeezullah & Siddiqi, 1970 (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from Moreton Bay, Australia, including the description of Neometadena paucispina n. sp. from Australian Lutjanidae.

A survey of the trematode fauna of lutjanid fishes off the east coast of Queensland (QLD), Australia revealed the presence of two species of Neometadena Hafeezullah & Siddiqi, 1970 (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae). Neometadena paucispina n. sp. is described from the intestine and pyloric caeca of Lutjanus fulviflamma (Forsskål) and L. russellii (Bleeker) from Moreton Bay, in southeast QLD. Specimens of the type- and only other species, N. ovata (Yamaguti, 1952) Miller & Cribb, 2008, were recovered from L. carponotatus (Richardson), L. fulviflamma, L. fulvus (Forster), L. russellii, and L. vitta (Quoy & Gaimard) off Lizard Island, on the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Neometadena paucispina is distinguished from N. ovata in having fewer oral spines (55-65 vs 67-80). Alignment of novel molecular data for these two taxa revealed that they differ consistently by 13 nucleotides (1.5%) over the partial large subunit (LSU), 34 nucleotides (6.6%) over the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 0 nucleotides over the 5.8S, and 21 nucleotides (7.3%) over the ITS2 rDNA regions. Despite relatively large samples of L. carponotatus, L. fulviflamma and L. russellii from three distinct locations along the east coast of QLD (i.e. Moreton Bay in the south, Heron Island in central QLD and Lizard Island in northern QLD), these two species have been found at only one site each with neither species at Heron Island. These distributions are discussed in the context of the wide distribution of other cryptogonomid species in the same hosts elsewhere in the Indo-West Pacific.

Triticella minini – a new ctenostome bryozoan from the abyssal plain adjacent to the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench

A new species of ctenostome bryozoan, Triticella minini sp. nov., is described from the abyssal plain adjacent to the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench, based on material collected by the Russian-German deep-sea expedition KuramBio 2012. Colonies of T. minini sp. nov. were found attached to the oral spines of irregular sea urchin Echinosigra (Echinogutta) amphoraMironov, 1974 by means of rhizoid fibers that penetrated the substratum through circular borings. The specimens were examined by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy with phalloidin and nuclear labeling. The description of T. minini sp. nov. combines a general taxonomic description with a description of the anatomy of the muscular system. The new species differs from congeners in lacking a stolon. It has an intertentacular organ. T. minini sp. nov. is the eleventh species described in the genus TriticellaDalyell, 1848, and the first record for this genus from the northwestern Pacific. The new species is the fifth ctenostome bryozoan known to occur in 5001–5500m depth interval worldwide, and the deepest record reported for Triticella.

A new Fenestrulina (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) commensal with tube-dwelling anemones (Cnidaria, Ceriantharia) in the tropical southwestern Atlantic.

A new species of cheilostome bryozoan, Fenestrulina commensalis n. sp., was collected in December 2008 by scuba at 5-10 meters depth at Guaibura Beach, Guarapari, Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil. The specimen was found associated with tubes of the cerianthid Pachycerianthus sp., representing the first commensal association between a bryozoan and a tube-dwelling anemone. Fenestrulina commensalis n. sp. is the third species of the genus found in Brazilian waters; it is distinguished from other Atlantic species of Fenestrulina by its small angular orificial condyles, a single oral spine and basal anchoring rhizoids arising from abfrontal pore chambers. Morphological adaptations to encrust the tubes of cerianthids include anchoring rootlets and weakly contiguous zooids. These morphological features allow the colony the flexibility to grow around the tube and feed relatively undisturbed by silt and detritus, being raised well above the soft-sediment substratum in which the tube-anemone grows.

Dramatic phenotypic plasticity within species of Siphomutabilus n. g. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from Indo-Pacific caesionines (Perciformes: Lutjanidae)

A survey of Indo-Pacific lutjanids of the subfamily Caesioninae revealed the presence of Siphodera gurukun Machida, 1910 and two new cryptogonimid taxa from off Heron and Lizard Islands on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia and Rasdhoo Atoll, Maldives. A combined morphological and genetic characterisation of these species shows that they form a clade distinct from the type-species of Siphodera Linton, 1910, S. vinaledwardsii (Linton, 1901), and warrants the proposal of a new genus. Here we propose Siphomutabilus n. g. and transfer Siphodera gurukun Machida, 1986 as the type-species, Siphomutabilus gurukun (Machida, 1986) n. comb. Siphodera aegyptensis Hassanine & Gibson, 2005 is transferred to Siphomutabilus as S. aegyptensis (Hassanine & Gibson, 2005) n. comb. based on morphological and ecological similarities. Siphomutabilus raritas n. sp. is described from Caesio cuning (Bloch) off Lizard Island and S. bitesticulatus n. sp. is described from Pterocaesio marri Schultz off Heron Island. The two new species are unique in that they have two testes, making their morphology broadly consistent with that of Metadena Linton, 1910, yet the molecular analyses conducted here indicates that they are unequivocally united with Siphomutabilus gurukun (which has multiple testes) to the exclusion of Metadena lutiani (Yamaguti, 1942), which was sequenced here. The dramatic phenotypic plasticity observed among such closely related species of Siphomutabilus suggests a secondary modification of what is generally considered a robust generic diagnostic character within this and other digenean families, highlighting the need for a combined morphological and molecular diagnostic approach when characterising these taxa. Siphodera Linton, 1910 is amended to include just two species, the type-species S. vinaledwardsii (Linton, 1901) Linton, 1910 and S. cirrhiti Yamaguti, 1970, which are distinguished by their lack of oral spines and multiple testes that are primarily extracaecal. Siphodera ghanensis Fischthal & Thomas, 1968 is considered a species incertae sedis here based on significant morphological and ecological differences compared with species of Siphodera and Siphomutabilus n. g.

Where’s Waldo? A new commensal species, Waldo arthuri (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Galeommatidae), from the Northeastern Pacific Ocean

A galeommatid bivalve mollusk, representing a new species, is described from off the coasts of California and Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The new bivalve has a commensal relationship with the heart urchin, Brisaster latifrons. It has been observed crawling between the oral spines of this urchin, frequently near the peristome. The bivalve has been recorded from 80 (Vancouver Island) to 444 (southern California) meters depth, in muddy sediments.In common with other galeommatoideans, the new species broods its young; however it differs from the large majority of commensal members in lacking planktotrophic larval development.Waldo arthuri, new species, has multiple morphological, ecological and developmental similarities to other members of the genus Waldo Nicol, 1966, from the southern Atlantic and Antarctic Oceans. This is most pronounced for the Argentine species, Waldo paucitentaculatus Zelaya & Ituarte, 2013, Waldo arthuri’s sister speciesin nuclear and mitochondrial gene trees. Despite this close relationship, Waldo arthuri is phylogentically distinct and possesses several hinge, shell sculpture, foot, and mantle tentacle characteristics that merit its description as new.

A new species of Parspina Pearse, 1920 (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from Pimelodella gracilis (Valenciennes) (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) in the Paraná River basin, Argentina, and a key to the genus

A new species of cryptogonimid belonging to the genus Parspina Pearse, 1920 is described from the intestine of Pimelodella gracilis (Valenciennes) in the Paraná River basin, Argentina. Parspina pimelodellae n. sp. is characterised by having: (i) a body length/width ratio of 1:3.6-5.3 at the level of the ventral sucker; (ii) 21 oral spines; (iii) an oral sucker larger than the ventral sucker, with a sucker width ratio of 1:0.6-0.7; (iv) a postcaecal region of 16-19% of the body-length; (v) a compact, transversely elongate ovary, anterior to and well separated from the testes; (vi) small, branched vitelline follicles, extending from the level of the ventral sucker to the anterior margin of the ovary; and (vii) a large seminal vesicle situated posterodorsal to the ventral sucker. A key to the species of Parspina is presented.

A new species of the sclerorhynchid sawfish Borodinopristis from the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) of North Carolina, USA

Elasmobranch fossils recovered from Campanian marine exposures at Elizabethtown, Bladen County, NC, include species from at least seven genera of sharks and four genera of batoids. Of particular interest is the recovery of multiple isolated rostral spines from a new sclerorhynchid sawfish, Borodinopristis shannoni, sp. nov. Species of Borodinopristis are known from oral teeth and/or rostral spines (‘rostral teeth’ for some authors). In species known from the latter, the spines differ from those of other sclerorhynchids by the presence of one or more ‘collared’ barbs on the posterior margin of the crown. Unlike the previously described B. schwimmeri, the rostral spines of the new species have well-developed hooked barbs with collars (curved, connected crests) extending asymmetrically onto the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the spine, as well as small, rudimentary barbs. Also unlike B. schwimmeri, the anterior margin of the spine is strongly convex and there is no enamelled collar at the base of the crown. The new species also occurs in the Upper Cretaceous of the Gulf Coastal Plain.

Pyrisinellidae, a new family of anascan cheilostome bryozoans

A new family of anascan-grade cheilostome bryozoans, Pyrisinellidae n. fam., is introduced, together with two new gen-era, Pyrisinella n. gen. and Spinisinella n. gen. Containing species previously assigned either to the large, paraphyleticCalloporidae, or Microporidae, pyrisinellids are characterized by having small autozooids with a conspicuous pear-shapedridge formed by the mural rim and distal rim of the opesia, articulated oral spines, and hyperstomial ovicells recumbenton the distal zooid and indenting its mural rim. Five species of pyrisinellids are described, two of which are new: Spin-isinella zagorseki n. gen. et sp., from the Cenomanian or Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Czech Republic, and Seto-sinella perfluxa n. sp., from the Langhian (Middle Miocene) of Kalimantan, Indonesia. A Recent species, Megaporaringens (Busk), is redescribed and questionably assigned to Pyrisinellidae. Important evolutionary changes within Py-risinellidae having parallels elsewhere among anascan cheilostomes include: (1) the development of opesiules for passageof the parietal muscles which correlates with a change from a trifoliate to a semielliptical opesia; and (2) the transitionfrom an open spinose ovicell in the oldest species (Spinisinella zagorseki) to a conventional ovicell with a solid hood-like ooecium that characterizes all other species belonging to the family.

The description of Stephanostomum spp. (Trematoda: Acanthocolpidae) from fishes of Tonkin bay

Three species of Stephnostomum Looss, 1899 are described from Tonkin bay, Vietnam. S. ditrematis (Yamaguti, 1939), from the intestine of Seriola dumerili (Perciformes: Carangidae), has 36 circum-oral spine; ventral spines slightly shorter than dorsal; oral spines shorter than aboral. S. bicoronatum (Stossich, 1883), from the intestine of Johnius carouna (Perciformes: Sciaenidae), has 30 circum-oral spine with ventral hiatus; aboral spines smaller than oral in mid-ventral area; seminal vesicle undivided; pars prostatica tubular, relatively short; ejaculatory duct long; testes near posterior end of hindbody. Stephnostomum sp., from the intestine of Harpadon nehereus (Aulopiformes: Synodontidae), has 28 circum-oral spine; prepharynx long (25% of body length). Stephnostomum sp. is morphometrically closer to S. fistulariae (Yamaguti, 1940).

New and little known species of Bryozoa from Iberian Atlantic waters

ABSTRACT A new species of Cheilostomatous Bryozoa, collected in the Strait of Gibraltar area (Gulf of Cadiz) and previously cited as Hincksina sceletos (Busk, 1858), is described. Hincksina calpensis n. sp. is characterized by presenting a shield of 15–18 spines covering the frontal surface, the small, flattened oral spines in ovicellate zooids, and the short, oval vicarious avicularia transversally directed. Material collected in the Gulf of Cadiz is here reported as Setosella sp., characterized by presenting oval autozooids proximally truncate asymmetrically, arranged in spiral series; D-shaped opesia slightly wider than long, with a distinct distal lunula, and a pair of long, asymmetric opesiules with denticulate inner edges; the ancestrula presents a trifoliated opesia. This material seems to differ from Setosella vulnerata (Busk, 1860), a presumed widely distributed species that however presents some variability not correctly studied yet. The genus Clavodesia Harmelin & d'Hondt, 1992 is re-described,...

A New Asterinid Sea Star, Disasterina akajimaensis (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, with Notes on the Genus Disasterina

A new asterinid, Disasterina akajimaensis sp. nov., is described from a specimen collected at Akajima Island, the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. It is clearly distinguishable from its five congeners by the following diagnostic characters: body relatively low and flat, uncalcified interradial areas conspicuous on ventral interradii, papulae numerous in center of disc, abactinal plates mostly lacking spinelets, inferomarginal plates with 2-4 spinelets, actinolateral plates with 1 spine, oral plates with 4-5 oral spines and no suboral spine, adambulacral plates with 1-3 furrows and 1 subambulacral spine. This is the first report of this genus from Japanese waters. Notes on the genus Disasterina and a tabular summary of the characters of the currently known species are also given.