Cycloporus variegatus Kato 1934
Creators: name: Bahia, Juliana
name: Padula, Vinicius
name: Lavrado, Helena Passeri
name: Quiroga, Sigmer
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Platyhelminthes
Polycladida
Euryleptidae
Cycloporus
Cycloporus variegatus

description: Cycloporus variegatus Kato, 1934
(Figs. 17 and 18)
Material examined. One specimen (MNRJ-PLAT 68, 9 x 6 mm) as sagittal sections of reproductive structures (16 slides), collected 27.10.2007 at Enseada 2, Ilha do Papagaio, Cabo Frio, Brazil (22°53'45.43"S, 41°59'5.54"W). Three specimens (MNRJ-PLAT 69, 11 x 8 mm, 13 x 10 mm and 12 x 8 mm), one as sagittal sections of reproductive structures (15 slides), collected 28.10.2007. One specimen (MNRJ-PLAT 70, 5 x 4 mm), as sagittal sections of reproductive structures (5 slides), collected 0 8.12.2007 One specimen (MNRJ-PLAT 71, 6 x 5 mm) as sagittal sections of reproductive structures (9 slides), collected 0 8.12.2007. One specimen (MNRJ-PLAT 72, 4 x 3 mm) collected 13.12.2008. One specimen (MNRJ-PLAT 75, 10 x 10 mm) collected 16.10.2009. All collected at Praia das Conchas, Cabo Frio, Brazil (22°52'33.05"S, 41°58'39.27"W). One specimen (MNRJ-PLAT 73, 3 x 3 mm) collected 13.12.2008 at Enseada da Hípica, Ilha do Papagaio, Cabo Frio, Brazil (22°53'53.95"S; 41°58'42.11"W). Two specimens (MNRJ-PLAT 74, 4 x 3 mm, 3 x 2 mm) one as sagittal sections of reproductive structures (6 slides), collected 30.12.2008 at Enseada 3, Ilha do Papagaio, Cabo Frio, Brazil (22°53'53.21"S, 41°58'59.40"W). All specimens preserved in ethanol 70%.
Distribution. Species described from Japan (Kato 1934) and reported from Vietnam, West Australia, North Great Barrier Reef (Newman & Cannon 2002) and colombian Caribbean (Quiroga et al. 2004a). Herein it is for the first time recorded from Brazil.
Diagnosis. Translucent body; yellow spots scattered in the dorsal surface, they are more concentrated at median line. Coloration is due to food. Intestinal glands at the body margin with yellow coloration; intestine with nine lateral branches. Three to four pairs of uterine vesicles.
Description. Color: Translucent body, color observed from ramified intestine (Fig. 17 A and E). Most specimens present coloration from ocher to dark brown, depending on the feeding status (Fig. 17 A and E). One specimen presented green coloration (Fig. 17 F). Yellow spots scattered in dorsal surface and more concentrated at the median line (Fig. 17 A, E and F), forming a median line, or elongated spots in most specimens. White dots also scattered dorsally. Marginal glands with yellow color (Fig. 17 A). Tentacles can also have yellow pigmentation (Fig. 17 A, E and F).
Form: Oval rounded body.
Tentacles: Marginal tentacles short and pointed (Fig. 17 A, E and G), measuring 0.2 mm.
Eyespots: Cerebral eyespot groups elongated and broad (Fig. 17 D and G) with 80–82 eyespots each. Located at 1–1.1 mm from the anterior margin. Tentacular eyespots (Fig. 17 C, D and G) in dorsal and ventral groups. Dorsal groups with 75–77 eyespots and ventral groups with 41–48 eyespots.
Digestive system: Pharynx short and tubular, measuring 1.8–1.9 mm. Mouth opens at 0.7–2.2 mm from the anterior margin. Intestine with around nine lateral branches. Main intestine occupies 3–7.2 mm of body length (Fig. 17 B, E, I and M). Terminal intestinal vesicles occupy 0.1–0.2 mm at the body margin.
Epidermis and body wall: Ventral body wall (epidermis 0.0215 mm, muscular layer 0.013 mm) taller than dorsal body wall (epidermis 0.0196 mm, muscular layer 0.014 mm). Rhabdites present both dorsally and ventrally. Longitudinal muscular layer external, intermediary circular layer and diagonal internal layer. Large sucker (0.2–0.7 mm) located at the middle of the body, at 2.4–6.5 mm from the anterior margin (Fig. 17 C).
Gonopores: One male and one female gonopore present (Fig. 17 C). Male gonopore at 1.25–3.1 mm from the anterior margin, measuring 0.2–0.3 mm. Female gonopore at 0.5–0.6 mm from the male pore, measuring 0.1–0.2 mm.
Male reproductive system: Male reproducive apparatus disposed parallel (Fig. 17 H) or diagonally (Fig. 17 L) to body axis. Seminal vesicle oval and elongated towards the posterior end (Fig. 17 H and L), measuring 351 – 421 x 207 µm. Prostatic vesicle in front of the seminal vesicle (Fig. 17 H) measuring 117 µm. Penis papilla measures 103–122 µm. Short male atrium measures 140–187 µm.
Female reproductive system: Ovaries dorsally to main intestine. Four pairs of uterine vesicles (Fig. 17 B and E) disposed at each side of the median line. Female atrium with invagination (0.047–0.0561 mm) measuring 51.4–74.8 µm. Short vagina (53.3–98.2 µm), cement glands numerous and densely disposed. Cement pouch elongated, measuring 32.7–60.8 µm. Oviducts with oocytes of around 47 µm diameter.
Taxonomic remarks. Until now, Cycloporus gabriellae was the only species of the genus known from Brazil (Marcus 1950). Specimens herein studied are in accordance with the description of C. variegatus, a species from Pacific Ocean, also found in the colombian Caribbean. Our specimens reach larger sizes (from 8 x 6 mm to 19 x 11 mm) than originally observed (9 x 3 mm and 11 x 6 mm) by Kato (1934). Other species with similar coloration pattern and ocher coloration, C. papillosus, is characterized by dorsal papillae (Yeri & Kaburaki 1918) absent in C. variegatus. Among other Cycloporus species, only C. australis and C. gabriellae present nine main intestine branches (Newman & Cannon 2002) and the specimens studied here differ from these species in the coloration pattern and cerebral and tentacular eyespots arrangement.
Ecology. Species from the genus Cycloporus were observed, during collections, over ascidians and sponges of orange or red coloration (Fig. 18). These polyclads are smaller than most animals of this group and different from other more active species, Cycloporus spp. tend to associate strongly with their preys, most commonly collected over them. The association between this genus and ascidians was reported by Stummer-Traunfels (1933), Marcus (1950) and Marcus & Marcus (1968). Cycloporus variegatus was observed over Symplegma rubra and an unidentified orange ascidian (Fig. 18 A and B). This ascidian species was found with feeding marks from Cycloporus specimens (Fig. 18 D). The specimen coloration is approximately the same as the prey coloration, and the polyclad camouflages itself in the ascidian. The Polycladida predation over sessile invertebrates can make areas available for other species settlement (Fig. 18 B), contributiong to a higher richness in the environment.
description: Published as part of Bahia, Juliana, Padula, Vinicius, Lavrado, Helena Passeri & Quiroga, Sigmer, 2014, Taxonomy of Cotylea (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida) from Cabo Frio, southeastern Brazil, with the description of a new species, pp. 495-525 in Zootaxa 3873 (5) on pages 517-519, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3873.5.3, http://zenodo.org/record/287261