Ectyodoryx multiformis

Brøndsted, 1932

Species Overview

Ectyodoryx multiformis Brøndsted, 1932 is an ill-known small species of oblong form. It has been recorded only once from deep water off the Faroe Islands.

Taxonomic Description

Colour: Light greyish (in alcohol).
Shape, size, surface and consistency: Oblong, ca. 8 mm in length. Surface even. A few inconspicuous oscules, ca. 0.4 mm in diameter, ostia 50-100 µm. Consistency somewhat elastic.
Spicules: Megascleres : Ectosomal tornotes or tornostyles, straight or a little curved, one end always abruptly pointed, the other sometimes likewise, but may taper as a style (no size known); large acanthostyles, spined all over, not very coarsely: 300-384 x 12 µm; short acanthostyles, more coarsely spined, nearly straight: 120-168 x 10 µm. Microscleres : Arcuate isochelae in three sizes: 55-65 µm, 24-30 µm (with with evenly bent shaft), and 10 µm (with strongly curved shaft); sigmas, in two size categories: 58-71 µm and 25-42 µm.
Skeleton: Ectosomal : made up mostly of tangentially placed tornotes, and these are also found under the dermal membrane; microscleres are crowded in the ectosomal region. Choanosomal : rather confused; primary fibres are only indistinctly developed.
Ecology: 60 m.
Distribution: Faroes.
Etymology: The name refers to the diversity of spicules.
Type specimen information: Type is in the Zoologisk Museum Copenhagen.

Remarks

This is an uncertain Ectyodoryx , because the skeleton is not typical for the genus. Possibly, the generic assignment should be Phorbas . In shape and spiculation this species is close to E . foliatus (Fristedt), but this has a single categoy of chelae and sigmas, which are also smaller than the largest categories of the present species.
Source: Brøndsted, 1932.