S87

Dictyocoryne profunda (Ehrenberg)

Dictyocoryne profunda Ehrenberg, 1860a, p. 767, 1872a, p. 307, 1872b, p. 288, pl. 7, fig. 23; Haeckel, 1887, p. 592; Martin, 1904, p. 454, pl. 80, figs. 11-13; Ling and Anikouchine, 1967, p. 1489, pls. 191, 192, fig. 6; non Renz, 1976, pl. 3, fig. 1

DESCRIPTION

"...Arms approximately of equal size and equidistant, club-shaped, from 2 1/2 to 3 times as broad at the ends as in the narrowest part, broadest part twice the diameter of the central disk, length 2 1/2 to 3 times the diameter of the central disk; central disk with three or four concentric rings; patagium reaching almost or quite to the ends of the arms.

"The forms here referred to this species show considerable variation within themselves, and if they all remain here will make it necessary to broaden the descriptions given by Ehrenberg and by Haeckel. With the material now at hand it seems better to broaden the species than to describe new ones. The three figures show the range of variation observed in the Maryland forms.

"It may be seen from the figures that the arms are not absolutely equidistant as they are supposed to always be in this genus. The maximum variation in this respect is shown in Fig. 11 where the angles between the arms are 105 degrees, 122 degrees and 133 degrees. This does not invalidate the reference of this form to Dictyocoryne for Ehrenberg's figure of the type of the genus shows the arms as being at angles of 113 degrees, 123 degrees, and 124 degrees." (from Martin, 1904).

DIMENSIONS "Based on 10 specimens; length of arms from geometric centre to distal end 130-150 microns; maximum breadth of arms 80-120 microns." (from Ling and Anikouchine, 1967).

REMARKS

1. Benson (1966, p. 255) has described another species Hymeniastrum koellikeri Haeckel, but the distinctions between it and D. profunda are not pronounced. It appears that Benson's illustrated specimens could be assigned to D. truncatum (pl. 12, fig. 4) and D. profunda (pl. 12, figs. 5, 6).

Plate 12, figure 1

S88

RECENT DISTRIBUTION

1. Molina-Cruz, 1975, Code S36A; not used in factor analysis of southeast Pacific assemblages; cf.Appendix 10 for percent S36A at each station.