Halopteris peculiaris Billard 1913

Halopteris peculiaris Billard, 1913

Figs 14 N–P, 15D–E

Halopteris peculiaris – Schuchert 1997: 84, figs 29–30.

PACIFIC OCEAN • 1 colony composed of a few fertile stems, up to 6 cm high; off New Caledonia, stn DW4774; 23°01′ S, 168°19′ E; 100– 90 m; 28 Aug. 2016; KANACONO leg.; MNHN-IK-2015-609.

For synonymy and a description, refer to Schuchert (1997).

In the present material, the lateral nematothecae associated to the cauline hydrothecae on the side opposite to the cladial apophyses are often absent (Fig. 14O); in only rare instances, a pair is formed (Fig. 14P). The cladia display a regular structure: they begin with a short, quadrangular, athecate segment, followed by an ahydrothecate internode bearing a superior nematotheca and ending distally in an oblique node; afterwards, the segmentation is heteromerous, with up to 8 hydrothecate internode alternating with ahydrothecate counterparts (Fig. 14N); the latter are short, delimited proximally by a transverse node and distally by an oblique node, and bear a frontal nematotheca; the hydrothecate internodes are slightly longer, are delimited proximally by an oblique node and distally by a transverse one, and bear distally a hydrotheca and its 4 associated nematothecae: a mesial, a pair of laterals, and a scale-shaped axillar one. There is an important sexual dimorphism of the gonothecae: the female, given off from below the cauline hydrothecae, are large, ovoid and bear proximally 3 nematothecae (Fig. 15D); the male gonothecae, borne on cladia, are comparatively minute, and bear a single basal gonotheca (Fig. 15E).

North Ubian Island, Philippines (Billard 1913), Lizard Island, Australia (Schuchert 1997), South Africa [Millard 1975, as Halopteris glutinosa (Lamouroux, 1816)].