Taxonomic revision of some lepraliomorph cheilostome bryozoans (Bryozoa: Lepraliomorpha) from Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Abstract

Lepraliomorph-grade ascophorans are the dominant group of bryozoans in most modern faunas. Here we describe five new species (Parasmittina alba sp. nov., Microporella proxima sp. nov., Reteporella antennata sp. nov., Stephanollona robustaspinosa sp. nov. and Turritigera buski sp. nov.) and record an additional five lepraliomorph species [Watersipora subovoidea (d'Orbigny, 1852), Schizoporella errata (Waters, 1878), Arthropoma cecilii (Audouin, 1826), Celleporina diota (Marcus, 1938) and Reteporellina evelinae Marcus, 1955] from the coastal waters off Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil. This increases the biodiversity of the bryozoan fauna from Brazil, and the number of species known from Rio de Janeiro State now totals 79.

The identity of the invasive fouling bryozoan Watersipora subtorquata (d’Orbigny) and some other congeneric species

“…This name was still being used for specimens from São Paulo and Espírito Santo, Brazil (Marcus 1938(Marcus , 1955 until Vieira et al (2008) followed in using the name W. subtorquata for the Brazilian specimens. Recently, Ramalho et al (2011) compared the Rio de Janeiro specimens with recent descriptions given by Ryland et al (2009) and applied the name W. subovoidea to Brazilian material, even though this species was originally introduced by d 'Orbigny (1852) for material (Savigny 1817, pl. 8, fig.…”

“…3D) in material they named Watersipora subovoidea. Ramalho et al (2011) followed Ryland et al (2009) in using the name W. subovoidea for specimens with "triangular, tooth-like condyles, located distomedially [sic], and a strongly pigmented operculum with a parallel-sided dark central band". All characteristics described for W. subovoidea by Ryland et al (2009) suggest that their specimens actually belong to W. subtorquata, and restudy of the material they analyzed (NHMUK 2007.12.14.2-8) confirms this supposition.…”

Bryozoan internal moulds from the La Meseta Formation (Eocene) of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula

“…There is also a great difference in width and the length of zooecium be− tween its proximal and distal parts, where the distal part bears from 5 to 7 marginal spines. The studied zooecial moulds in respect to their shape, and particularly be− cause of their very long distinct, distal parts are not comparable to any other spe− cies of the genus Beania Johnston known from the literature (Hastings 1943;Hay− ward 1995;Tilbrook et al 2001;Tilbrook 2006;Ramalho et al 2010;Vieira et al 2010a). Beania sp.…”

Ctenostomatous Bryozoa from São Paulo, Brazil, with descriptions of twelve new species

“…In the last decade, bryozoans on the Brazilian coast have been the subject of several taxonomic studies using morphological and molecular techniques that have allowed the clarification of the status of some taxa previously treated as widespread and the description of previously unrecognized bryozoan biodiversity in southwestern Atlantic waters (Vieira et al 2007(Vieira et al , 2010a(Vieira et al -c, 2012Ramalho et al 2010Ramalho et al , 2011. Observation of specimens in vivo has provided important complementary data to distinguish two Amathia species recorded from the Atlantic .…”