Bryopesanser pesanseris (Smitt, 1873)

(Fig. 33; Table 32)

Hippothoa pes anseris Smitt, 1873: 43, pl. 7, figs 159, 160.

Escharina pesanseris: Osburn 1914: 207.

Mastigophora pesanseris: Osburn 1927: 130; 1940: 452; 1952: 479; Canu & Bassler 1928a: 133, pl. 21, fig. 9, pl. 34, fig. 4; Hastings 1930: 722; Marcus 1939: 142.

Escharina pesanseris: Cook 1968: 195; Long & Rucker 1970: 19; Winston 1982: 145, fig. 77; 1984: 26, figs 53–55.

Bryopesanser pesanseris: Tilbrook 2006: 253, pl. 55A–C; Winston & Woollacott 2009: 275, fig. 27.

Material examined. VMNH no. 70648, 70649; USNM no. 1283257.

Description. Colonies encrusting, small, unilaminar (Fig. 33 A, B). Zooids relatively large, about 0.70 by 0.52 mm, oval to subhexagonal, with distinct grooves between. Frontal-shield calcification granular with many small pores. Orifice semicircular, with straight beaded proximal rim and small, narrow, teardrop-shaped central sinus. A low peristome rims orifice and bears 6–8 distolateral spines. Paired latero-oral, distally directed avicularia, with complete crossbars; acute rostra (Fig.33 C, D) flared into terminal groove to support characteristic webbed ‘duckfoot’ mandibles (Fig. 33 E, F). Ooecia small relative to zooid size, globular, imperforate.

Remarks. Members of the family Escharinidae (Tilbrook 2006) occur in many tropical and subtropical habitats, but the small size of colonies has until recently prevented study of the amount of diversity that occurs in the group.

Distribution. Western Atlantic: Cape Hatteras to Brazil, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico.