Family SUNDANELLIDAE Jebram, 1973
Compiler and date details
July 2001 - Dr Philip Bock
Introduction
The family Sundanellidae was erected by Jebram (1973) for the single genus Sundanella, which had been introduced by Braem (1939) for Victorella sibogae, first described from the East Indies by Harmer (1915). Sundanella is characterised by its very large zooids and numerous tentacles which exceed 20 per zooid. The cuticle is thick and rugose, and often covered with silt particles. Colonies loosely encrust the substratum and may reach 50-75 mm in diameter or height, as reported by Osburn (1947) who gave the maximum length of zooids as 6.5 mm. S. sibogae buds entirely peristomially, and has been recorded from Brazil by Marcus (1941), from Colombia by Osburn (1947) and from estuarine conditions in North America by Maturo (1957). The method of brooding has been described by Ström (1977) who remarked 'embryos are brooded in an invagination of the body wall'.
Sundanella sibogae has not been reported from Australia, but an unnamed species of Sundanella, with the same budding pattern, but much smaller zooids with 12-14 tentacles, has been recorded and observed alive from Queensland. The colonies inhabited those of the free-living cheilostome Selenaria. Zooids were loosely attached to the frontal and basal sides of colonies, and ancestrulae were seen encrusting the long avicularian setae of the cheilostome. Other zooids with thickened cuticles were found inhabiting the skeletons of zooids in the central, ancestrular region of the Selenaria colonies (Chimonides & Cook, 1981).
Diagnosis
Colony loosely encrusting, zooids very large, with a thick cuticle, and a puckered orifice, budded peristomially. Embryos brooded in an invagination of the body wall.
General References
Braem, F. 1939. Victorella sibogae Harmer. Zeitschrift für die Morphologie und Ökologie die Tiere 36: 267-278
Chimonides, P.J. & Cook, P.L. 1981. Observations on living colonies of Selenaria (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) 2. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 22: 207-219
Harmer, S.F. 1915. The Polyzoa of the Siboga Expedition. Part 1. Entoprocta, Ctenostomata and Cyclostomata. Siboga-Expéditie Report 28A: 1-180
Jebram, D. 1973. Stolonen-Entwicklung und Systematik bei den Bryozoa Ctenostomata. Zeitschrift für Zoologische Systematik und Evolutionsforschung 11: 1-48
Marcus, E. 1941. Sôbre Bryozoa do Brasil. Boletim da Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras da Universidade de São Paulo, Zoologia 5 (22, Zoologia): 3-208
Maturo, F.J.S. 1957. A study of the Bryozoa of Beaufort, North Carolina, and vicinity. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 73: 11-68
Osburn, R.C. 1947. Bryozoa of the Pacific coast of America, part 1, Cheilostomata-Anasca. Report of the Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions 14: 1-269
Ström, R. 1977. Brooding patterns of Bryozoans. pp. 23-89 in Woollacott, R.M., & Zimmer, R.L. (eds). Biology of Bryozoans. New York : Academic Press xvii 566 pp.
History of changes
Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
25-Mar-2014 | BRYOZOA Ehrenberg, 1831 | 25-Mar-2014 | MODIFIED | Dr Robin Wilson (NMV) Elizabeth Greaves (NMV) |
29-Mar-2010 | MODIFIED |