Calvadosia lewisi Miranda, Branch, Collins, Hirano, Marques & Griffiths, 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Miranda, Lucília S.
name: Branch, George M.
name: Collins, Allen G.
name: Hirano, Yayoi M.
name: Marques, Antonio C.
name: Griffiths, Charles L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Cnidaria
Staurozoa
Stauromedusae
Kishinouyeidae
Calvadosia
Calvadosia lewisi

description: Calvadosia lewisi sp. nov. (Figs 1–4)
Kishinouyea sp. South Africa — Miranda et al. 2016b: 8, 12–15, figures 3–5.
Calvadosia sp. 4 South Africa — Miranda et al. 2016b: 17, 34, 36, figures 7, 16.
Material examined. Holotype: MZUSP 3415, 1 specimen, Simon’s Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (–34.2100, 18.4626), 0 1 December 2014, depth 3 m, on Sargassum, formaldehyde solution 4%, col. C. Foster. Paratype: MZUSP 3416, 1 specimen, Simon’s Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (–34.2100, 18.4626), 0 1 December 2014, depth 3 m, on Sargassum, formaldehyde solution 4%, col. C. Foster. Additional material: MZUSP 2731, 1 specimen, Miller’s Point, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (–34.2320, 18.4745), February 2013, subtidal, on Brassicophycus brassicaeformis and Anthophycus longifolius, ethanol 90%, col. D. Robertson-Anderson. MZUSP 2732, 1 specimen, Miller’s Point, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (– 34.2320, 18.4745), February 2013, subtidal, on Brassicophycus brassicaeformis and Anthophycus longifolius, ethanol 90%, col. D. Robertson-Anderson. MZUSP 3417, 1 specimen, Miller’s Point, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (–34.2320, 18.4745), February 2013, subtidal, on Brassicophycus brassicaeformis and Anthophycus longifolius, ethanol 90%, col. D. Robertson-Anderson. CMNH-ZG7819, 1 specimen, A-Frame, False Bay, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (–34.2159, 18.4650), 19 January 2003, shallow subtidal (depth 2–3 m), on kelp, formaldehyde solution 5% and transferred to ethanol 70%, col. Y. Hirano. Iziko South African Museum MB- A083793, 1 specimen, Miller’s Point, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (–34.2320, 18.4745), February 2013, subtidal, on Brassicophycus brassicaeformis and Anthophycus longifolius, ethanol 80%, col. D. Robertson- Anderson. Iziko South African Museum MB-A084062, 1 specimen, Betty’s Bay, Overberg, Western Cape, South Africa (–34.3723, 18.8875), May 2013, depth 1 m, on kelp Ecklonia maxima, formaldehyde solution 4%, col. E. Firl & C. Pickering. Not kept, 1 specimen, Castle Rocks, False Bay, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (– 34.2385, 18.4766), February 2010, depth about 5 m; on wrack growing on flat rock, observed by G. Zsilavecz. Not kept, 1 specimen, A-Frame, False Bay, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (–34.2159, 18.4650), April 2014, depth 5 m, on Caulerpa filiformis growing on sand; observed by G. Zsilavecz.
Diagnosis. Gonadal curved nodular lobes, regular (symmetric) and smooth in shape, facing interradii, arranged in a “zigzag” row on subumbrella.
Description. Body divided into two clearly demarcated regions: calyx and peduncle (Fig. 1 D). Calyx wider than high, cruciform (Fig. 1), height 3.11–6.15 mm (mean 4.64 mm, number of individuals measured n = 5), width 5.88–16.48 mm (mean 12.03 mm, n = 5). Peduncle short (Figs 1 D, 2C), about 1/4 of the total height, 1.20–1.32 mm tall (mean 1.26 mm, n = 5), width 1.39–2.03 mm (mean 1.85 mm, n = 5). Broad, swollen adhesive circular pedal disk at base of peduncle (Fig. 2 C, E), width 2.48–4.31 mm (mean 3.38 mm, n = 5). Small central pore in the pedal disk of some specimens (Fig. 2 E). Peduncle without interradial longitudinal muscle bands, with a single cruciform chamber (in cross-section) that becomes four-chambered basally within the pedal disk (Fig. 2 D). Calyx without anchors (rhopalioids) or primary tentacles (Fig. 1). Manubrium with four perradial pleated lips (Figs 1 E; 2B, F). Many gastric filaments in gastrovascular cavity. Gastrovascular cavity not divided by vertical tissue composed of double layer of gastrodermis with internal mesoglea, known as claustrum. Eight arms (width 1.00– 1.55 mm, mean 1.27 mm, n = 5), organized in four interradial pairs, resembling a cross (Figs 1, 2), hence the common name ‘cross of pearls’. Four U-shaped perradial notches about four times as deep as the U- or V-shaped interradial notches (Fig. 2 A). Eight gonads not embedded in gastrovascular cavity, but contained within evaginations from the gastrovascular cavity. Each gonad consisting of several nodular lobes, relatively regular and smooth in shape, and arranged in a single row on subumbrella (Figs 1–3). However, in mature specimens nodules are tightly packed, giving the impression of two rows of nodular lobes (but actually in a “zigzag” row; see Fig. 3 D). Regular nodular lobes curved, facing interradii (Fig. 3 A, E). Each arm with 8–12 nodular lobes (n = 5). Gonads extending from manubrium to tips of arms (Figs 1, 2 B). Each arm with a terminal cluster of secondary tentacles, each cluster with 12–27 (n = 5) hollow, knobbed tentacles, similar in shape (Fig. 2 J). Broad pad-like adhesive structures forming a glandular cushion (height 0.46–1.02 mm, mean 0.69 mm, n = 5; width 1.37–3.53 mm, mean 2.39 mm, n = 5) on tips of arms, on exumbrella, surrounding outermost tentacles near their base (Fig. 2 I). Four interradial longitudinal muscles at calyx base, each divided in pyloric region into two bands toward adradial arms (Fig. 2 G, H). Coronal muscle divided into eight segments by arms (Fig. 2 H). Exumbrella finely granulated with nematocyst (euryteles) warts (Fig. 4 D). Conspicuous white nematocyst spots on subumbrella, distributed along calyx margin, at interradii and perradii, to tips of arms (Figs 1 A, E; 3B, C). Higher concentration of white spots at perradii, organized in 1–4 rows. White spots also associated with gonads. General color of body reddish to greenish brown (Fig. 1).
Cnidome. Secondary tentacles with two types of nematocysts: isorhiza (abundant), length 18.02–19.65 µm (mean 18.72 µm, number of capsules measured n = 10), diameter 2.12–3.16 µm (mean 2.61 µm, n = 10); and eurytele (scarce), length 14.18–15.96 µm (mean 15.27 µm, n = 10), diameter 5.28–8.04 µm (mean 6.85 µm, n = 10) (Fig. 4 A, B). White nematocyst spots with one type of nematocysts: rhopaloids (abundant), length 12.77–15.40 µm (mean 14.29 µm, n = 10), diameter 10.20–11.96 µm (mean 11.34 µm, n = 10) (Fig. 4 C).
Etymology. Named after Lewis Jason, a legendary volunteer at the Two Oceans Aquarium (Cape Town, South Africa) who first brought our attention to this animal and made passionate and lengthy notes on the species. Lewis Jason passed away on December 17th, 2014, at the age of 90.
Type locality. Simon’s Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Distribution and habitat. Calvadosia lewisi was found at various localities in the Western Cape, South Africa: A-Frame, False Bay, Cape Town; Betty’s Bay, Overberg; Castle Rocks, False Bay, Cape Town; Miller’s Point, Cape Town; and Simon’s Town, Cape Town (Fig. 5 C). The species is found from intertidal to shallow subtidal regions, up to 5 m deep, attached to different species of algae.
Remarks. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of Staurozoa (Miranda et al. 2016b) revealed a putative new species in South Africa, referred to Calvadosia sp. 4 in that study, and herein properly described as Calvadosia lewisi sp. nov. This species is closely related to C. tasmaniensis and C. corbini, in a clade whose possible synapomorphy is a broad pad-like adhesive structure on the tip of each arm (Miranda et al. 2016b). This feature is also present in C. hawaiiensis (Edmondson 1930; Grohmann et al. 1999) and in C. capensis (Carlgren 1938; Miranda et al. 2012b), suggesting that they too may belong to this clade (Miranda et al. 2016b). Calvadosia cruxmelitensis has a slightly different pad-like adhesive structure on the tip of the arm, in which the secondary tentacles arise directly from this structure (Corbin 1978; Miranda et al. 2016b).
The morphology of C. lewisi is similar to C. tasmaniensis and C. corbini, in accordance with molecular results (Miranda et al. 2016b). Calvadosia tasmaniensis has been recorded only from Australia (Zagal et al. 2011) and C. corbini was originally described from Puerto Rico (Larson 1980), subsequently recorded from Brazil (Grohmann et al. 1999) and Mexico (Lechuga & Alamo 2005). These species have a wide “open” calyx, cruciform in C. lewisi and in C. corbini (Figs 1, 6) (Larson 1980; Grohmann et al. 1999), with interradial pairing of arms, a feature not evident in C. tasmaniensis (Zagal et al. 2011). These three species also share a relatively short peduncle (Larson 1980; Grohmann et al. 1999; Zagal et al. 2011) and broad, pad-like adhesive structures on the tips of the arms (Figs 2 I; 6E; 7D). In addition, the gonads of these species are not embedded in the gastrovascular cavity, but are nodular evaginations from the gastrovascular cavity resting on the subumbrella (Figs 1–3, 6, 7) (Larson 1980; Grohmann et al. 1999; Zagal et al. 2011). The generally smooth shape of the nodular gonads is the hypothetical main distinguishing feature of C. lewisi. Analyzed specimens of C. corbini and C. tasmaniensis (Table 2) have nodular erect gonads, with irregular shape (described by Larson (1980) for C. corbini as looking like “small raisins”), which can have many evaginations, and are distributed in a single, relatively straight row (Figs 6, 7). However, the nodular gonads in C. lewisi have a smooth, regular shape, curved toward the interradii, and are tightly arranged in a “zigzag” row (Figs 1–3). Our observations include specimens of different sizes, making it unlikely that there is ontogenetic variation of this feature.
description: Published as part of Miranda, Lucília S., Branch, George M., Collins, Allen G., Hirano, Yayoi M., Marques, Antonio C. & Griffiths, Charles L., 2017, Stalked jellyfishes (Cnidaria: Staurozoa) of South Africa, with the description of Calvadosia lewisi sp. nov., pp. 369-389 in Zootaxa 4227 (3) on pages 372-376, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4227.3.5, http://zenodo.org/record/268342