Research Article |
Corresponding author: Asako K. Matsumoto ( amatsu@gorgonian.jp ) Academic editor: Bert W. Hoeksema
© 2016 Asako K. Matsumoto, Leen P. van Ofwegen.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Matsumoto AK, van Ofwegen LP (2016) The genus Bebryce (Cnidaria, Octocorallia, Plexauridae) at Japan, with descriptions of three new species. ZooKeys 587: 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.587.8188
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Three new deep-water species of Bebryce from Japan are described and depicted using Scanning Electron Microscopy: B. otsuchiensis sp. n., B. rotunda sp. n., and B. satsumaensis sp. n. Bebryce studeri Whitelegge, 1897, was reported from Japanese waters for the first time, bringing the total of Japanese Bebryce species to six. Five of these six species seem to be endemic to Japanese waters and all occur in deep water up to 213 m. A key to the Bebryce species is presented.
Anthozoa , taxonomy, new records, subtropical, temperate, deep water
Bebryce Philippi, 1841, is a genus of octocorals, which is distributed in tropical to subtropical waters in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans. Two Japanese endemic subtropical deep-water species of Bebryce have been reported from the Ogasawara Islands (= Bonin Islands), both with rosettes with warty, rounded, or bristle-like projections: B. bocki Aurivillius, 1931 and B. boninensis Aurivillius, 1931. These two species have been re-described in a revision by
Here we present three additional, new species, and report the finding of B. studeri Whitelegge, 1897 in Japanese waters, a species previously known from Funafuti, New Caledonia, Indonesia, and the Philippines (
Material was collected by dredging, trawling or fishing net onboard research vessels RV Tansei-maru, University of Tokyo and Japan Agency for Marine-earth Science and Technology, RV Yayoi, the University of Tokyo, RV Shinyo-maru, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, and the commercial fishing boat Kiryo-maru during the years 2003–2009. Depths of each station are converted to depth range in meters from shallow to deep, also when it is towed from deep to shallow if that would be indicated on the sampling label with original provenance data. We also examined historical museum material of the
Of each specimen, a small piece of the distal part of a branch was dissolved in a 4% household bleach solution to isolate sclerites. These sclerites were washed with demineralised water, dried on a hot plate, mounted on SEM stubs, and coated with Pd/Au for SEM imaging. For this, either a JEOL JSM6490LV scanning electron microscope was operated at high vacuum at 10 kV, or a JEOL JSM6510LA scanning electron microscope with a Quick Carbon Coater SC-701C, SANYU ELECTRON was used. For terminology, see
Descriptions of old Japanese material collected by Japanese used “hiro” (Japanese fathom) as the depth unit. One Japanese fathom (hiro) is usually 1.43 m, occasionally 1.51 m, whereas, it is 1.818 m for the length unit on land. The old depth unit fathom is also converted to 1.8288 m. When it was not clear whether the collector used fathom or hiro, the converted depth has wider ranges.
All new type material is stored in ethanol and deposited in the Cnidaria collection (
AKM Asako K. Matsumoto collection, Planetary Exploration Research Center (PERC), Chiba Institute of Technology (Chitech), Japan
BIK The Biological Institute on Kuroshio, Kochi, Japan
NBC (
ME (UPSZTY (
1 | Rosettes with bristle-like projections | 2 |
– | Rosettes cup-shaped | 4 |
2 | Calycular margins without modified rosettes | B. boninensis Aurivillius, 1931 |
– | Calycular margins with modified rosettes | 3 |
3 | Calycular margins with asymmetrical rosettes not strongly modified | B. studeri Whitelegge, 1897 |
– | Calycular margins with spindles with blade | B. bocki Aurivillius, 1931 |
4 | Coenenchymal sclerites include tuberculate disks with central process | B. rotunda sp. n. |
– | Coenenchymal sclerites 4-6-rayed stellate plates | 5 |
5 | Rosettes with slightly serrated rim with spines | B. satsumaensis sp. n. |
– | Rosettes with slightly serrated rim with blunt processes | B. otsuchiensis sp. n. |
Bebryce brocki Aurivillius, 1931: 194, fig. 38, pl. 4 fig. 4; erroneous original spelling for bocki, in honor of Sixten Bock’s expedition to the Bonin Islands, Japan.
Bebryce bocki;
Bebryce boninensis;
Holotype UPSZTY2181 (UUZM84), East of Chichijima I., Ogasawara Is. (Bonin Is.), Japan, depth 120 m (100 m in
Bebryce with rosettes with warty, rounded, or bristle-like projections. Those of calycular margin asymmetrically developed, with strong projecting blade. Coenenchymal sclerites are thick, warty disks.
Apparently this is the most common Bebryce species in sub-tropical to temperate Japanese waters, in a depth range of 97–213 m.
a Bebryce bocki Aurivillius, 1931, holotype (UPSZTY2181 (UUZM84)) b B. boninensis Aurivillius, 1931, holotype (UPSZTY2166 (UUZM69)) c B. otsuchiensis sp. n., holotype (
Bebryce boninensis Aurivillius, 1931: 200, fig. 39, pl. 4 fig. 3 (Bonin Is., Japan);
NOT Bebryce boninensis;
Holotype UPSZTY2166 (UUZM69), ENE from Anojima I. (Anijima I. or Anejima I.), Ogasawara Is. (Bonin Is.), Japan, depth 150 m (100 fathoms in
Bebryce with rosettes with warty, rounded, or bristle-like projections. Calycular margins without specialized sclerites. Coenenchymal sclerites are thick, warty disks.
It cannot be excluded that this species is synonymous with B. bocki. Its sclerites are very similar and it only differs in lacking the asymmetrical rosettes at the calyx margin. These sclerites may perhaps fall off easily, which would explain why the species was never reported again. The distance between Chichijima Island (type locality of B. bocki) and Anijima Island (type locality of B. boninensis) is ca. 800 m within the Anijima Strait. The recorded depth of B. boninensis (150 m) is within the depth range of B. bocki (97–213 m). As collecting efforts at the Bonin Islands have been limited, the two species are still considered separate in the present study. Re-examination of the material studied by
Holotype
The holotype
The anthocodiae are armed with a crown and points consisting of a transverse crown with curved, rather smooth spindles up to 0.40 mm long (Figure
The sclerites of the outer surface of coenenchyme and calyces are rosettes consisting of a cup-shaped thorny projection arising from a warty base. Several of these are up to 0.10 mm long and have a widely flared calyx part of about 0.10 mm in greatest diameter with slightly serrated rim with a few blunt processes, joined by a smooth, slender stem to a warty base narrower than the calyx (Figure
The deeper layer of coenenchyme contains stellate plates, 3–6 rayed forms up to 0.15 mm in the greater diameter, with a central process (Figure
Colour. The holotype is light brown.
Named after the type locality, Otsuchi Bay.
The species mostly resembles B. harpy Grasshoff, 1999, regarding the blunt processes of the rosettes. It differs in overall having less tuberculate sclerites.
This is the northernmost species of Bebryce. It has a very wide distribution from North to South Japan, and is only found in the warm Kuroshio Current area, in the depth range 67–143 m. This species also represents the northernmost record of the genus Bebryce, and the first from north of 39°N latitude.
Holotype
The holotype
The anthocodiae are armed with a crown and points consisting of a transverse crown with curved spindles up to 0.35 mm long (Figure
The sclerites of the outer surface of coenenchyme and calyces are rosettes consisting of a cup-shaped thorny projection arising from a warty base. These rosettes are 0.10 mm tall, have a flared calyx part about 0.10 mm in greatest diameter with blunt processes (Figure
The plates of the inner coenenchyme are tuberculate disks up to about 0.15 mm in diameter with tuberculate rim and central process on one surface (Figure
Colour. The holotype is creme.
From the Latin rotundus, wheel-shaped, round, referring to the round disks of the coenenchyme.
Holotype
The holotype
The anthocodiae are armed with a crown and points consisting of a transverse crown with curved, rather smooth spindles up to 0.45 mm long (Figure
The sclerites of the outer surface of coenenchyme and calyces are rosettes consisting of a cup-shaped thorny projection arising from a warty base. Several, about 0.15 mm tall, have a widely flared calyx part about 0.15 mm in greatest diameter with slightly serrated rim with some spines, joined by a smooth, slender stem to a warty base narrower than the calyx (Figures
The deeper layer of coenenchyme contains stellate plates, 4–6 rayed forms up to 0.10 mm in the greater diameter, with a central process (Figure
Colour. The holotype is brown.
Named after the type locality, Satsuma (old name of Kagoshima prefecture).
The rosettes with weakly serrate rim and few spines are unique for this species within the genus. B. brunnea (Nutting, 1908) and B. cofferi Bayer and Ofwegen, 2016 resemble this species but have rosettes with more serrate rim.
The species occurs in South Japan up to Sagami Bay, in the depth range 100–210 m.
AKM1280, off Kerama Is., Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, East China Sea, 26°04.59'N, 127°27.70'E – 26°04.56'N, 127°27.95'E, depth range 153–160 m, RV Tansei-maru, KT08-33 cruise (Oji leg), KR-7, chain bag dredge, coll. A.K. Matsumoto, 16 December 2008;
Bebryce with rosettes with warty, rounded, or bristle-like projections. Those of calycular margin asymmetrically developed, with weakly developed projecting blade. Coenenchymal sclerites are warty disks.
This is the first record of this species for Japan, where it is limited to the South of Japan, East China Sea. The depth record of previous studies is 23–113 m, from Funafuti, New Caledonia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Papua New Guinea (
We thank Ms. Erica Sjölin and Mr. Hans Mejlon, ME, Uppsala, Sweden; Dr. Rei Ueshima,