Watersipora souleorum Vieira & Jones & Taylor 2014, n. sp.

Watersipora souleorum n. sp.

(Figs 17, 59–64, 68, 71; Table 4)

? Cellepora subovoidea d’Orbigny, 1852: 402 [Red Sea; nomen dubium].

Lepralia cucullata: Thornely 1905: 120 [Sri Lanka]. Non Lepralia cucullata Busk, 1854: 81, pl. 96, figs 4–5 [Aegean Sea]. Schizoporella cucullata var. labiosa Calvet in Jullien & Calvet, 1903: 141, pl. 16, fig. 7a–c [Azores].

Lepralia? cucullata: Waters 1909: 150 (part), pl. 15, figs 2–5 [Naples and? Cape Verde].

Watersipora cucullata: Hastings 1930: 729 (part), pl. 15, fig. 104 [Cape Verde].

Watersipora cucullata var. watersi Mawatari, 1952: 12 (part) [Cape Verde].

“ Watersipora subovoidea ” fide Harmer: Soule & Soule 1975: 308 (part), pl. 3, fig. 5 [Sri Lanka].

Material examined. Holotype: NHMUK 2014.07.29.1, dry slide, Porto Grande, St. Vicent, Cape Verde Islands, on coral, 10 fm [18.3 m], Vallentin coll. Paratype: NHMUK 1935.3.6.367, same data as for holotype. Other material: MOM 420379, Schizoporella cucullata var. labiosa, L. Calvet 1903, l’Hirondelle, Stn 236, Azores, 20 August 1888. NHMUK 1872.2.3.147, dry, Watersipora cucullata var. atrofusca, west coast of Spain, S. Kent coll., on shells. NHMUK 1873.7.21.7, dry and dry slide, Watersipora cucullata, Ceylon [Sri Lanka], E.W.H. Holdsworth. NHMUK 1882.10.18.3.4–41pt., Watersipora sp., Seychelles Island, on coral, 12 fm [22 m], Voyage of H.M.S. Alert, pres. Lords of the Admiralty. NHMUK 1882.10.18.3.100–104., Schizoporella sp., Seychelles Island, coral, 12 fm [22 m], Voyage of H.M.S. Alert, pres. Lords of the Admiralty. NHMUK 1899.5.1.976 [3 slides], Watersipora atrofusca, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, T. Hincks coll. NHMUK 1899.7.1.1396, dry slide, Lepralia cucullata, Persian Gulf, on pearl oyster, G. Busk coll. NHMUK 1899.7.1.1893, dry slide [part in balam slide], Lepralia cucullata, Cape Verde Island, Mrs Gatty, G. Busk coll. NHMUK 1890.1.31.13, dry, Watersipora subovoidea, Madras [Chennai], India. NHMUK 1912.12.21.1019, Watersipora cucullata, Naples, Italy, A.M. Norman. NHMUK 1921.5.24.18C, dry, Watersipora subovoidea, Cape Verde, Voyage of the Herald, Lords of the Admiralty. NHMUK 1936.12.30.35, Lepralia cucullata, Ceylon [Sri Lanka], L. R. Thornely. NHMUK 1936.12.30.116, Lepralia cucullata, India, No. 116, 1906, Yellow 2247, L. R. Thornely. NHMUK 1969.1.16.3, dry, Watersipora subvoidea, Point de Fomone, M’Bour, Senegal, 10 m, M-Marchad II. NHMUK 1973.1.10.2, dry slide, Watersipora subvoidea, No. 32, Point de Fomone, M’Bour, Senegal, 10 m, 13 April 1954, M-Marchad II. NHMUK 1981.4.1.3pt, dry and balsam slide, Watersipora subovoidea, Ceylon [Sri Lanka], L. R. Thornely, Rep. Pearl Oyster Fish., 26, p120. NHMUK 2012.6.30.1 [part of NHMUK 1912.12.21.1019], Watersipora cucullata, Naples, Italy, A.M. Norman.

Description. Colonies encrusting, multiserial, uni- to multilamellar, sometimes erect, foliaceous and bilamellar; colour of dead colonies black. Zooids subrectangular, about twice as long as wide, separated by slightly raised lateral walls. Frontal shield slightly convex, with numerous (25–32 µm diameter), round pseudopores; latero-oral intrazooidal septula absent. Frontal shield obscured by dark cuticle. Orifice large, oval, with welldefined, broad, deeply U-shaped proximal sinus; slightly raised orificial rim sometimes present; bar-shaped condyles. Operculum with a narrow, biconcave dark central band, with lucidae. Avicularia absent. Ovicells absent.

Etymology. Named for John D. Soule (1920–2001) and Dorothy F. Soule (1923–2005), in recognition of their contributions to bryozoan taxonomy.

Remarks. The name labiosa was first introduced by Hincks (1886) —as Schizoporella atrofusca f. labiosa —but was synonymised under W. subovoidea by Ryland et al. (2009) (= W. subtorquata). Calvet (in Jullien & Calvet 1903) also introduced the name labiosa as Schizoporella cucullata var. labiosa —this name has never been considered valid since the original description and it was synonymised with W. cucullata by Hastings (1927) —for material from the Azores. Calvet’s specimens (MOM 420379) are distinct from W. subtorquata, however, in having a deep sinus and an operculum with a biconcave dark central band. Hastings (1930, pl. 15, fig. 104, as W. cucullata) included an excellent drawing based on specimens from Cape Verde that corresponds with Calvet’s variety. Waters (1909) used the name L. cucullata for species from Naples, Cape Verde and Suez, but the descriptions encompass at least two species. His specimens from Naples (Waters 1909, figs 2–5) have a wider sinus and distinctive operculum when compared to those from Suez (= W. subtorquata); specimens from Naples resemble those reported by Calvet (in Jullien & Calvet 1903) and Hastings (1930) from the Azores and Cape Verde, respectively. Mawatari (1952) erected var. watersi for material with this distinctive type of operculum, but the name is preoccupied by the fossil Microporella watersi de Stefani, 1884, based on Lepralia cucullata of Manzoni (1875) which, to judge by Manzoni’s figure (1875, pl. 4, fig. 47), is likely a species of Watersipora (see Waters 1909). We introduce the name Watersipora souleorum n. sp. for these specimens.

Watersipora souleorum n. sp. resembles W. subtorquata in lacking latero-oral intrazooidal septula. The new species differs, however, in having a larger orifice than W. subtorquata, a deep U-shaped sinus, bar-shaped condyles, and an operculum with a narrow dark central band.

Distribution. Atlantic (Azores, Cape Verde and Senegal), Mediterranean (Naples) and Indian Ocean (Sri Lanka and India).