Celleporina wellingtonensis Gordon, 2009, n. sp.

Celleporina wellingtonensis n. sp.

(Figs 16–18)

Material examined. Holotype: NIWA 46359. Paratypes: NIWA 46360, 46361. All types from Pterocladia lucida, c. 5 m depth, Siren Rocks, Taputeranga Marine Reserve, collected by Sheryl Miller 7 October 2007.

Etymology. Alluding to the distribution of the species on the Wellington south coast.

Description. Colony encrusting, small, up to 8 mm diameter, forming small pale orange mound. Zooids with indistinct boundaries, c. 0.38 mm long when recumbent, 0.17–0.20 mm wide, with anterior end semierect and peristomate, often with concealed suboral avicularium, primary orifice deeply set, also somewhat concealed in mature zooids. Orifice about as wide (0.13–0.15 mm) as long with broad deep poster, shoulders of poster constituting condyles. No oral spines. Adventitious avicularia numerous, of variable size and shape, ranging from tiny subcircular and subovoid forms through larger subspathulate forms up to 0.29 mm long and 0.17 mm wide, latter with proportionately larger rostral palate, foramen semicircular to stretched-D shaped. Interzooidal furrows between autozooids and avicularia occupied by areolar pores of variable diameter. Ovicell with semicircular frontal ectooecial tabula with numerous somewhat radiate perforations.

Remarks. Twelve other described species of Celleporina are known in New Zealand waters (Hincks 1885; Uttley & Bullivant 1972; Gordon 1984, 1989). Celleporina wellingtonensis differs from these in the sum of its characters; diagnostic features include the abundance of adventitious avicularia of variable size and shape, lack of peristomial avicularia, and the broad deep orificial poster. The species encrusts stems of the red alga Pterocladia lucida (Turner) J.Agardh from submerged parts of the middle shore to shallow diveable depths in the marine reserve. Companion bryozoan species on the host seaweed include Antarctothoa delta (Ryland & Gordon), Catenicella pseudoelegans n. sp., Claviporella aurita (Busk), Fenestrulina disjuncta (Hincks), Osthimosia sirena n. sp., and Plesiothoa trigemma (Ryland & Gordon), along with small sponges and the foraminiferan Trochulina dimidiata (Jones & Parker).