On Powellithecidae fam. nov., a new Pliocene to Recent bryozoan family endemic to New Zealand, with the description of Powellitheca gen. nov. (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata)

  • Emanuela Di Martino Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
  • Paul D. Taylor Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
  • Dennis P. Gordon National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Wellington
  • Lee Hsiang Liow Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2016.207
Keywords: Cheilostomata, Powellithecidae, Plio-Pleistocene, Recent, Wanganui Basin

Abstract

A new cheilostome bryozoan genus, Powellitheca gen. nov., is erected here for three species from New Zealand, one of which has been previously assigned to Emballotheca Levinsen, 1909, but which differ significantly from the Australian type species of Emballotheca, E. quadrata (MacGillivray, 1880). Notably, whereas Emballotheca has a cormidial orifice (i.e., formed by numerous neighbouring zooids), and lepralielliform ooecia, the orifice of Powellitheca gen. nov. is formed by single zooids and ooecia are of the microporelliform type. The introduction of a new family, Powellithecidae fam. nov., becomes necessary because of the nonconformity of Powellitheca gen. nov. with other known families having microporelliform ooecia. In addition to the Recent type species Powellitheca terranovae gen. et sp. nov., one other new Recent species, P. labiosa gen. et sp. nov., and a Plio-Pleistocene fossil species, Monoporella waipukurensis Waters, 1887, are assigned to the new genus.

References

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Published
2016-06-23
How to Cite
Di Martino, E., Taylor, P. D., Gordon, D. P., & Liow, L. H. (2016). On Powellithecidae fam. nov., a new Pliocene to Recent bryozoan family endemic to New Zealand, with the description of Powellitheca gen. nov. (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata). European Journal of Taxonomy, (207). https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2016.207
Issue
No. 207 (2016): On Powellithecidae fam. nov., a new Pliocene to Recent bryozoan family endemic to New Zealand, with the description of Powellitheca gen. nov. (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata)
Section
Zoology
Copyright (c) 2016 Emanuela Di Martino, Paul D. Taylor, Dennis P. Gordon, Lee Hsiang Liow

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