Nemertesia freiwaldi Gil & Ramil & Agís 2020, n. sp.

• Main Authors: Gil, Marta, Ramil, Fran, Agís, José Ansín
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2020
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Cnidaria; Hydrozoa; Leptothecata; Plumulariidae; Nemertesia; Nemertesia freiwaldi; Lophelia pertusa
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4426158; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DE879D1C0F335046B2C5FFA3866A5F

Nemertesia freiwaldi n. sp. (Figs. 6, 7, 8; Table 3) Material examined. MAURIT-0911, stn MUDR01, 16º08´24”N, 16º57´12”W, 488 m, 5-XII-2009: nine colonies, one colony with male gonotheca (SMF 12948), three colonies with female gonothecae (1 LZM-UV 15247, 2 MNCN 2.03 /684, 2.03/685), paratypes. MAURIT-1011, stn MUDR20, 16º08´11”N, 16º56´08”W, 405 m, 7-XII-2010: one colony, with male gonothecae, paratype (LZM-UV 15261). MSM 16 /3, stn GeoB 14796–1, ROV, 20°14.840’– 20°14.575’N, 17°40.193’– 17°40.071’W, 487–642m, 3-XI- 2010: two colonies 23 mm high, growing on Lophelia pertusa one colony with female gonothecae is the holotype (SMF 12947) and the other a paratype (LZM-UV 02986). MSM 16 /3, stn GeoB 14801–1, BG, 20°14.762’N, 17°40.173’W, 568 m, 3-XI-2010: eight colonies 13–22 mm high, no gonothecae. MSM 16 /3, stn GeoB 14802–1, BG, 20°14.791’N, 17°40.188’W, 595 m, 3-XI-2010: one colony 17 mm high, on Lophelia pertusa with female gonothecae, paratype (RMNH.Coel.42585) MSM 16 /3, stn GeoB 14871–2, ROV, 19°08.344’– 19°08.235’N, 16°45.849’– 16°45.664’W, 427–566 m, 9-XI- 2010: one colony, on Lophelia pertusa , without gonothecae. Etymology. The specific name freiwaldi honours Prof. Dr. André Freiwald, Senkenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven, in appreciation and recognition of his wide contribution to the knowledge on cold-water coral habitats. Biology. Some colonies were found growing on L. pertusa the rest of the colonies were detached from the substrate, but some of them showed hydrorhizal adaptations for anchoring in muddy bottoms. The bathymetric range of the species extends from 405 to 642 m. Distribution. This species was collected on the Mauritanian cold-water coral mounds and surrounding offmound muddy bottoms. Description. Hydrorhiza formed by stolonal tubes growing attached to corals or composed of a compact mass of interwoven stolonal fibres to anchor the colony to the sediment in muddy bottoms. Hydrocauli monosiphonic, unbranched and divided into internodes by straight nodes visible along the stem. Each internode ...