Family COELOPLANIDAE Willey, 1897

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Introduction

The Coeloplanidae comprises the genera Coeloplana and Vallicula. Only Coeloplana has been found in Australian waters, and then only rarely. Worldwide, at least 26 species of Coeloplana have been described, four are recorded from Australia, two of which are known only from Australia. At least two more undescribed species are known from the Townsville region, QLD — one found on soft coral (Sarcyphyton), the other on the Crown-of-Thorns (Acanthaster plancii). Another species has been recorded by Stephenson et al. (1931) from the Low Isles, QLD and Edgar (1997, 2000) from southern Australia.

Species of Coeloplana tend to be highly host-specific, although a few are generalists. Vallicula is known from amongst the rocks in Antarctic waters.

The family name Coeloplanidae was first used by Willey (1897: 341) for Kowalevsky's Coeloplana. The family is sometimes said to include the genus Lyrocteis Komai (see Matsumoto, 1999), whereas other authors regard Lyrocteis to be in its own family, the Lyroctenidae (see Komai 1942; Mills 1998).

Identification keys are available in Matsumoto & Gowlett-Holmes (1996) and Matsumoto (1999).

Diagnosis

Creeping or sessile ctenophores, ctene rows absent in adults. Tentacles, with tentilla, retractable into sheaths. Meridional canals branched and anastomosed. Pharynx permanently everted; statocyst present and aboral; body length < 6cm.

Diagnosis References

Matsumoto, G.I. & Gowlett-Holmes, K.L. 1996. Coeloplana scaberiae sp. nov., a new benthic ctenophore (Ctenophora: Platyctenida: Coeloplanidae) from South Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 29(1): 33-40 [34]

General References

Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life, the plants and animals of temperate waters. Kew, Victoria, Australia : Reed Books 544 pp.

Edgar, G.J. 2000. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Sydney : Reed New Holland Revised Edn, 544 pp.

Komai, T. 1942. The structure and development of the sessile ctenophore Lyrocteis imperatoris Komai. Memoirs of the College of Science, Kyoto Imperial University B 17(1): 1-36

Matsumoto, G.I. 1999. Coeloplana thomsoni sp. nov., a new benthic ctenophore (Ctenophora: Platyctenida: Coeloplanidae) from western Australia. pp. 385-393 in Walker, D.I. & Wells, F.E. (eds). The Seagrass Flora and Fauna of Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum.

Matsumoto, G.I. & Gowlett-Holmes, K.L. 1996. Coeloplana scaberiae sp. nov., a new benthic ctenophore (Ctenophora: Platyctenida: Coeloplanidae) from South Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 29(1): 33-40

Mills, C.E. 1998. Phylum Ctenophora: list of all valid species names. Electronic internet document available at http://faculty.washington.edu/cemills/Ctenolist.html. [Published by the author, web page established March 1998]

Stephenson, T.A., Stephenson, A., Tandy, G. & Spender, M. 1931. The structure and ecology of Low Isles and other reefs. Scientific Reports of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition 1928-1929 3: 17-112, 27 pls

Willey, A. 1897. On Ctenoplana. Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science 39: 323-343, pl. 21

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