Calantica Gray 1825

Calantica Gray, 1825

Diagnosis. Calantica (type, Pollicipes villosus Leach, 1824) is limited to species with the same basic 13-plated pattern of Scillaelepas, sometimes supplemented by first a subrostrum (SR1), a second latus (L2) or a second carinolatus (CL2) (Fig. 6).

Remarks. Calantica is distinguished from Scillaelepas in having small peduncular scales covered with a distinct cuticle, and both genera are distinguished from the next higher grade, Smilium, in not having the latus (L), reduced or conspicuously elevated above the carinolatus (CL). There are borderline species between Calantica and Smilium over which there will be disagreements until some revisionary breakthrough has been made, but fortunately they do not concern us here.

While Zevina’s (1981) monograph on the scalpellomorphs includes 13 species of Calantica, Young (2003) lists 15 species after the inadvertent duplication of C. moskalevi is removed. The list can arguably be further reduced to 11 by transfer of C. flagellata Ren, 1989, C. pedunculostriata, Broch, 1931, C. spinosa (Quoy and Gaimard, 1834) and C. spinilatera Foster, 1979 to Smilium or elsewhere, and then increased to 14 when C. kampeni (Annandale, 1909) and C. pollicipoides (Hoek, 1907) are returned from Smilium and C. darwini Jones and Hosie, 2009 is added (see below). Fortunately, “borderline” cases do not concern us here; to the contrary, the Axial form is a true albeit a relatively generalized Calantica, especially when, and then apparently more commonly than not, CL2s fail to develop.

For convenience, the 14 species of Calantica can be divided into the following four groups:

I. Species with only the basic 13 capitular plates of which C. studeri appears most similar to C. moskalevi:

1) C. affinis Broch, 1922: 232, Philippines (Zamboanga), 350 m.

2) C. eos (Pilsbry, 1907: 7), Japan, 133 m.

3) C. darwini Jones and Hosie, 2009: 240, W Australia, 146– 156 m.

4) C. graphica Rosell, 1991: 13, Philippines, 193– 205 m.

5) C. kruegeri Hiro, 1932: 473, Japan (Sagami Bay), 150– 180 m.

6) C. pusilla Utinomi, 1970: 159, Japan (Amakusa Is), 25– 30 m.

7) C. studeri (Weltner, 1922: 100), Foster 1979: 45, NW Australia and New Zealand, 60–248 m; cf. Young 2003: 192 for redescription.

8) C. trispinosa (Hoek, 1883: 72); cf. Rosell 1991: 14, Philippines, 82–85 m, Java Sea to Sagami Bay, 56–200 m; Jones 1998: 247, Gulf of Siam, S. China Sea to Japan, 35– 320 m.

II. Species with CL2 sometimes appearing carinal of L on one or both sides.

9) C. moskalevi Zevina and Galkin, 1989: 134. NE Pacific, 1400 m.

III. Species with the basic 13-plate pattern +SR include:

10) C. quinquelatera Hiro, 1932: 469, Japan,?shallow water.

11) C. villosa (Leach, 1824: 170, Plate 57) (on p. 170 as Pollicipes tomentosus according to Darwin 1852: 274, and on Plate 57 dated 1817, as P. villosus); type species; Foster 1979: 44, New Zealand, intertidal to 276 m.

IV. Species with the basic pattern + L2 appearing somewhat rostral of midline of L, one of which, C. siemensi, is closest to C. moskalevi:

12) C. kampeni (Annandale, 1909: 267); cf. Jones 1998: 247, Gulf of Aden to Pacific Ocean, 6– 225 m. 13) C. pollicipoides (Hoek, 1907: 60), Celebes, 57 m; cf. Jones 1998: 247, S. Africa to Philippines, 57– 190 m. 14) C. siemensi (Weltner, 1922: 97); Zevina and Litvinova 1970: 176, Red Sea (Gulf of Aden), 48 m; cf. Young

2003: 189 for redescription.

Species number 9 above, Calantica moskalevi from Axial Seamount, is somewhat uncomfortably situated between the generalized and advanced members of the genus. This is due to the variable occurrence of the CL2 versus an otherwise relatively generalized, Scillaelepas- like facies. What may have been the primordial CL2s were seen in the juveniles described by Zevina and Galkin (1989: cf. Fig. 5) and again in two of the 10 mature specimens reported upon herein (Figs 8, 9).

The facts, that 1) the mature specimen with but one CL2 as well as that with two came from the same clump as the otherwise rather similar appearing specimens and 2) there are no other species of Calantica known in the entire Central as well as Eastern Pacific, leaves little doubt the difference is due to variability rather than to a mistaken identification. While we are unaware of such variability having been previously reported in Calantica, more or less comparable variations involving 1) the SRs were noted in Gruvelialepas pilsbryi (Gruvel, 1911), (cf. Newman 1980), 2) an additional CL and SC in Newmanilepas Zevina and Yakhontova, 1987 (Newman, 1993: 405), and 3) the number of L in Smilium spinosa (Quoy and Gaimard, 1834) (Foster 1979: 40) that have been observed. While the examples of the delayed addition of plates suggest that the CL2s of C. moskalevi might possibly appear later in ontogeny, the fact that some of the specimens without them appear as old if not older than the specimen having them renders that unlikely.

Zevina and Galkin (1998) assigned the specimens to Calantica with a parenthetical question mark of caution, “ Calantica (?) moskalevi ”, and they reported it as within 10 to 30 m of vents in the caldera of Axial Seamount at 45° 55.7’ N, 130° 02.3’ W and 45° 55.5’ N, 130° 01.6’W at depths of 1410 m and 1540 m, respectively. The two juveniles, upon which the description was based, were designated the holotype and paratype, and measured 4.3 and 2.8 mm in height, respectively (Fig. 7). A description of the adult form follows.

FIGURE 6. The capitular plates of Calantica can be divided into three more or less arbitrary whorls; 1, S-T; 2, R-C; and 3, RL- L-CL-SC (scutum, tergum, rostrum, carina, rostrolatus, latus, carinolatus and subcarina, respectively), sometimes supplemented by a subrostrum, or second latus or second carinolatus, (SR or L2 or CL2), respectively. The same three whorls are typical of Scillaelepas, which differs in not having supplementary capitular plates other than sometime a subrostrum or two, and in having proportionately larger peduncular plates not covered with a relatively thick cuticle.

The authors note “One scale on each side …” (more or less at the capitulo-pedunclar junction). These can be seen in the holotype (A and B) and on one side of the paratype (F). See discussion herein re the apparent significance of these scales.