Hippopleurifera confusa Ramalho, Távora, Tilbrook & Zágoršek, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ramalho, Laís V.
name: Távora, Vladimir A.
name: Tilbrook, Kevin J.
name: Zágoršek, Kamil
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Bryozoa
Gymnolaemata
Cheilostomatida
Romancheinidae
Hippopleurifera
Hippopleurifera confusa

description: Hippopleurifera confusa sp. nov.
(Figs 3 A–F)
Material examined. Holotype: MG–6302–I–c, Atalaia Beach, Salinópolis, Pará state, Brazil. Paratypes: MG– 6302–I–a, b, d, from same locality as holotype.
Diagnosis. Colony encrusting, unilaminar. Autozooids short, frontal shield with 1–3 rows of areolar pores and smooth central region proximal to orifice. Orifice with 6–8 small spine bases and variably developed small median lyrulate process. Suboral avicularium and 1–2 asymmetrical lateral avicularia present.
Description. Colony encrusting, unilaminar. Autozooids short, hexagonal, slightly longer than wide (460–704 [568] µm x 427–691 [522] µm). Frontal shield with 1–3 rows of areolar pores and an imperforate area proximal to the orifice frontally. Interior of frontal shield with 3 rows of areolar pores and an imperforate umbonuloid area proximal to orifice.
Orifice longer than wide (147–220 [193] µm x 163–205 [185] µm); anter rounded, bordered by 6–8 small spine bases, the most proximal of which are located near the short condylar projections; poster concave with a small, median lyrulate projection.
A single suboral avicularium on a raised cystid; rostrum subtriangular, directed frontally, usually poorly preserved or broken with cystid apparent only as a large hole; distal end of avicularium terminating at proximal border of orifice. Single, or paired asymmetrical lateral avicularia present; rostrum elongate (143–317 µm long), directed frontally or angled toward adjacent frontal wall; well-preserved rostral tips flared, extending beyond interzooidal boundary (Fig. 3 D–E).
Ooecium not observed.
Etymology. The specific epithet alludes to the confusion caused by the similarity of this species to H. barbosae sp. nov.
Remarks. Despite the lack of ooecia in the colony fragments examined, we believe Hippopleurifera confusa sp. nov. belongs to this genus because of the presence of the reduced umbonuloid area in the frontal shield, the lateral suboral avicularia and the presence of a suboral umbo or avicularium. Hippopleurifera confusa is very similar to H. barbosae sp. nov. (see above) in having a median suboral avicularium and similarly shaped lateral avicularia. It may be discriminated from H. barbosae by its shorter zooids with a shorter orifice, greater spine number (six to eight), more-proximally positioned lateral avicularia and fewer rows of areolar pores. Hippopleurifera semicristata (Reuss, 1847) also resembles this species, but it too has fewer rows of areolar pores (two, rarely three), there is no suboral umbo or avicularia, the frontally smooth suboral area is larger and the lateral avicularia are also larger. Hippopleurifera confusa sp. nov. is known only from the Pirabas Formation.
description: Published as part of Ramalho, Laís V., Távora, Vladimir A., Tilbrook, Kevin J. & Zágoršek, Kamil, 2015, New species of Hippopleurifera (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) from the Miocene Pirabas Formation, Pará state, Brazil, pp. 125-134 in Zootaxa 3999 (1) on page 130, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3999.1.8, http://zenodo.org/record/237330