Figs 16C, 17 K–M; Table 11
Symplectoscyphus paulensis Stechow, 1923: 8.
Symplectoscyphus vervoorti El Beshbeeshy, 2011: 184, fig. 61.
Symplectoscyphus paulensis – Stechow 1925: 467, fig. 28. — Millard 1967: 183, fig. 4G–H; 1975: 317, fig. 102A–C; 1977: 107; 1978: 199; 1979: 142; 1980: 144, fig. 5A–B. — Vervoort 1972: 180, figs 60B, 61; 1993: 263, figs 63, 65A. — Hirohito 1983: 51, fig. 24. — Vervoort & Watson 2003: 222, fig. 53A–B. — Watson 2003: 170, fig. 20. — Soto Àngel & Peña Cantero 2019: 37, fig. 11I.
Sertularella paulensis – Stepanjants 1979: 71, pl. 17 fig. 2.
PACIFIC OCEAN • a colony, 3 × 3.2 cm, without gonothecae; off New Caledonia, stn DW4759; 23°12′ S, 168°03′ E; 317–343 m; 26 Aug. 2016; KANACONO leg.; one fragment was used for DNA extraction, DNA 1390; voucher MHNG-INVE- 120851; barcode identifier MK 073104; MNHN-IK-2015-393 • a fertile colony, 4.5 × 5 cm; same collecting data as for preceding; MNHN-IK-2015-393.
The present material fits the description and illustrations given by Vervoort (1993) of S. paulensis. It is mainly characterized by 1) its rootlike hydrorhiza, firmly adhering the colony to a hard substrate; 2) the stem is unbranched but fascicled, tending to monosiphonic distally; 3) the internodes are weakly indicated, and composed of a minute apophysis (supporting a cladium) together with its associated axillar hydrotheca, as well as two alternate hydrothecae above; 4) the cladia are given off regularly in an alternate manner; unbranched, up to 3 cm long, composed of up to 26 hydrothecate internodes separated by weak oblique nodes; 5) the gonothecae are laterally flattened, with undulated walls; aperture rounded atop of a neck region borne on a terminal, slightly depressed plateau; likely female, containing 1–2 large, ovoid bodies.
El Beshbeeshy (2011) created S. vervoorti for material studied earlier by both Vervoort (1972, as S. paulensis) and Stepanjants (1979, as Sertularella paulensis), on the account of 1) wider internodes and nodes; 2) hydrothecae circular in cross section and isodiametric throughout; 3) hydrothecal aperture everted, rim provided with pointed cusps. However, in light of the reexamination of the lectotype of S. paulensis by Vervoort (1993: fig. 43A–D) and the comparative measurements given in Table 11, this doesn’t seem justified. Indeed, Vervoort (1993: 263) clearly stated that the “Valdivia material is in perfect agreement with specimens described by Vervoort (1972: 180–183, figs 60b, 61)”.
Off St. Paul ( Stechow 1923), off Mozambique ( Millard 1967), Vema Seamount ( Vervoort 1972), South Africa ( Millard 1975), Patagonian Shelf ( Stepanjants 1979; El Beshbeeshy 2011, as S. vervoorti sp. nov.), New Caledonia ( Vervoort 1993, present study), New Zealand ( Vervoort & Watson 2003),
| Present study | Vervoort (1993), lectotype | Vervoort (1993); material from Millard (1967) | Vervoort (1972) | Stepanjants (1979) as Sertularella paulensis | El Beshbeeshy (2011) as Vervoort Symplecto- & Watson scyphus (2003) vervoorti sp. nov. | Watson (2003) | |
| Internodes | |||||||
| - ordinary internodes | 1005–1425 | 1410–1845 | 865–1300 | 1285–1430 | 1260–1400 | 1067–1531 – 1000–1440 | |
| - diameter at node | – | 195–370 | 130–215 | 340–405 | 290–406 195–260 | 120–176 | |
| Hydrotheca | |||||||
| - free adaxial wall | 725–785 | 865–935 | 910–935 | 595–835 | 790–910 | 603–951 1015–1145 | 792–840 |
| - adnate adaxial wall | 280–310 | 540–585 | 370–390 | 500–580 | 460–600 | 464–556 345–395 | 328–392 |
| - abaxial wall | 665–710 | 670–870 | 760–825 | 675–755 | 950–1060 | 672–759 1065–1130 | 880–960 |
| - total length | – | 1105–1260 | 1100–1130 | 920–1055 | 1310–1345 | ||
| - maximum width | – | 455–500 | 410–435 | 460–485 | 460–510 | – | |
| - diameter at aperture | 370–390 | 410–435 | 390–415 | 365–475 | 500–550 | 440–487 425–440 | 400–480 |
| Gonotheca | |||||||
| - total length | 1435–1485 | – | 1520 | – | – | 1800–1856 1720 | – |
| - maximum width | 930–970 | – | 1065 | – | – | 928–997 1195 | – |
| - length of funnel | 170–205 | – | – | – | – | 127–139 164 | – |
| - diameter at aperture | 220–270 | – | – | – | – | 232–243 130 | – |
Japan ( Hirohito 1983), Macquarie Island ( Watson 2003) and Antarctica ( Peña Cantero 2012; Soto Àngel & Peña Cantero 2019).