Acryptolaria bathyalis Peña Cantero & Vervoort 2010, n. sp.
Creators: name: Peña Cantero, Álvaro L.
name: Vervoort, Willem
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Cnidaria
Hydrozoa
Leptothecata
Lafoeidae
Acryptolaria
Acryptolaria bathyalis

description: Acryptolaria bathyalis n. sp.
(Figs 2; 30; 31B; Table 3)
TYPE MATERIAL. — Loyalty Islands. MUSORSTOM 6, stn CP 419, 20°41.65’S, 167°03.70’E, 283 m, 16.II.1989, 1 stem c. 70 mm high, holotype (MNHN-Hy.2009-
0158); several fragments up to 25 mm long, paratype (RMNH-Coel. no. 31499) and 2 slides, paratypes (MNHN-Hy.2009-0147 and RMNH Coel. no. 35167 slide 734).
OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Loyalty Islands. BIOCAL 1, stn DW 82, 20°30.658’- 20°30.888’S, 167°50.308’- 167°50.367’E, 440-460 m, 6.IX.1985, 3 stems up to 36 mm high (MNCN 2.03 /407); 1 stem c. 26 mm high in slide (MNCN 2.03 /392).
MUSORSTOM 6, stn CP 415, 20°40.20’S, 167°03.95’E, 461 m, 15.II.1989, 1 stem c. 45 mm high (RMNH-Coel. no. 31498) and 1 stem c. 35 mm high (RMNH-Coel. no 35113, slide 675). — Stn CP 464, 21°02.30’S, 167°31.60’E, 430 m, 21.II.1989, 1 stem c. 22 mm high (MNCN 2.03/408).
SE New Caledonia. MUSORSTOM 4, stn CP 237, 22°12.0’S, 167°16.5’E, 630 m, 2.X.1985, a few stems up to 22 mm high, on axis of gorgonian (MNCN 2.03/409).
ETYMOLOGY. — The specific name bathyalis, from the Greek “bathos” = deep, refers to the depths at which the species was found; it is an adjective following the genus name in gender.
ECOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION. — Acryptolaria bathyalis n. sp. was found at depths between 283 and 630 m; one colony was attached to the axis of a gorgonian. It has been collected at the Loyalty Islands and SE of New Caledonia.
DESCRIPTION
Stems up to 70 mm high. Branching frequent, at least 5th order branches present (Fig. 31B). Branching irregular in several planes, occasionally in one plane; with anastomoses. Branches straight, long and thin; with exception of basal part of stem, perisarc of branches little developed (Fig. 2A, C, E).
Hydrothecae alternately arranged in approximately one plane (Fig. 2A, C, E), cylindrical (Fig. 2), with a constant diameter throughout, only decreasing at their base. Hydrotheca curved outwards at distal half; basal half of abcauline hydrothecal wall parallel to branch. Adcauline wall adnate to internode in about four-fifths (adnate/free ratio 3.8). Adcauline wall convex throughout; abcauline wall completely concave or straight at basal half.Hydrothecal aperture circular and outwards directed, roughly parallel to long axis of branches. Rim even, sometimes with short renovations.
Large nematocysts relatively large and fusiform (Fig. 30).
Coppinia not found.
REMARKS
Acryptolaria bathyalis n. sp. is characterized by the cylindrical hydrothecae and the soft, long and straight branches. It is allied to Acryptolaria abies in having straight branches and in the shape and size of the hydrothecae, though the latter has a larger part of the adcauline wall free. They are clearly distinguishable by the size of the nematocysts (11.2 × 4.6 µm in the lectotype of A. abies).
description: Published as part of Peña Cantero, Álvaro L. & Vervoort, Willem, 2010, Species of Acryptolaria Norman, 1875 (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Lafoeidae) collected in the Western Pacific by various French expeditions, with the description of nineteen new species, pp. 267-332 in Zoosystema 32 (2) on pages 274-275, DOI: 10.5252/z2010n2a5, http://zenodo.org/record/4521008