Tubulipora perforata Liu & Liu & Zágoršek 2019, n. sp.

Tubulipora perforata n. sp.

(Figs 11–15)

lsid:zoobank.org:act: 612DC68B-D2A8-4263-AFF7-9CCF73C62C38

v. Tubulipora pulchra: Liu, Yin & Ma, 2001: p. 383, pl. 5, figs 1–3.

v. Tubulipora pulchra: Seo, 2005: p. 275, pls 7, 8.

Diagnosis. Tubulipora with autozooid arranged in fascicles containing 2–10 autozooidal tubes, protoecium with smooth margin. Gonozooid slightly triangular, with oval ooeciopore adjacent to the proximal or near the proximal margin of the closest distal autozooidal tube. Basal lamina visible beyond the budding zone.

Holotype. Specimen MBM 284359 from Jiaozhou Bay (Figs 11, 12).

Paratypes. Specimens MBM 284369, MBM 284362, MBM 284490, MBM 284346 (Jiaozhou Bay).

Additional material. More than 10 colonies from samples MBM 194708, MBM 194683, MBM 194656, MBM 194700, MBM 194710, MBM 194676 and MBM 194667 (Jiaozhou Bay).

Etymology. Referring to the large pseudopores of the gonozooecium.

Description. Colony encrusting, almost circular, sometimes lobate. Autozooids wide (approximately 100 µm), arranged in somewhat radial rows. Apertures rounded to square-shaped, often in fascicles of 2–10 during late astogeny. Peristomes long (ca. 160–220 µm), slightly curved and perforated by very small pseudopores (ca. 4 µm in diameter). Budding margin with 2–4 rows of partially developed zooids overlapping the margin, forming a characteristic edge, without the basal lamina limited to the margin of the colony, not extending further. Protoecium approximately 100–110 µm in diameter, often with smooth margins. Gonozooid slightly triangular, longer (1250–1660 µm) than wide (620–1100 µm), spreading over 2–5 autozooidal tubes and perforated by these tubes; pseudopores numerous, large (diameter approximately 12 µm). Ooeciopore elongated oval, centrally situated, approximately 100–120 µm wide by 40–50 µm long, adjacent to the proximal margin of the succeeding autozooid. Ooeciostome with distinctly extended lips developed around the ooeciopore.

Remarks. The new species differs from other Tubulipora species in having autozooidal tubes in fascicles, combined with a very large, elongated, almost triangular gonozooid with elongated oval ooeciopore attached to the proximal margin of the succeeding autozooidal tube, non-serrate protoecium and basal lamina projecting beyond the budding zone.

The new species differs from T. similis in having a subcircular, non-serrate protoecium and a somewhat upright ooeciostome (vertical to the colony surface) with slightly flared lips, while in T. similis the ooeciostome is slightly curved. Moreover, the new species has autozooecial apertures that are polygonal, arranged in fascicles and the ooeciopore is elongate oval, while in the T. similis the ooeciopore is circular.

Tubulipora concinna is very similar to the new species. MacGillivray’s (1885a, p. 94, pl. 1, fig. 10) illustration shows the projecting basal lamina, autozooidal tubes in fascicles, extended gonozooid and oval ooeciopore. However, it differs in the more lateral position (relative to the following autozooid) of the ooeciopore, and in the gonozooid being wider than long. The original material of MacGillivray (1885a) is not accessible; therefore, the exact attribution of his species remains uncertain. Moreover, T. concinna was synonymised with Diastopora latomarginata d’Orbigny, 1853 by Waters (1889) and consequently also by Jelly (1889).

Specimens of T. pulchra in Liu et al. (2001) and Seo (2005) show the same characters as the new species (i.e. large, almost triangular gonozooid with oval ooeciopore attached to the succeeding autozooidal tube). Therefore, we synonymised this material with our new species.

Occurrence. Jiaozhou Bay in Qingdao and also Jeju Island in Korea (Seo 2005).